Royal Navy visits to Middle East

This file concerns official visits by Royal Navy ships to ports in the Gulf and the Middle East. It contains correspondence relating to:

• Arrangements and records of the visit of the Royal Navy warship HMS Amazon to Basra, Iraq
• The potential for stronger Anglo-Iraqi ties following the visit, including the possibility of training and assistance to the Iraqi Navy
• Arrangements for Royal Navy visits to Dubai; Abu Dhabi; and Qatar
• A claim that Iraqi naval officers have been invited on board Imperial Iranian Navy ships to observe a planned Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO) joint exercise
• The question of the nuclear-powered warship HMS Dreadnought receiving permission from the Egyptian authorities to transit the Suez Canal en route to Iran; and the public reaction when news of the Egyptian refusal is leaked
• Records of visits by Royal Navy ships to Muscat and Salalah in Oman with local press cuttings (in English and Arabic)
• The procedure for obtaining diplomatic clearance for naval visits to Oman.