The British warship being readied to protect a UK military base in Cyprus is not expected to sail until next week, officials say, as conflict spirals in the Middle East. HMS Dragon is being loaded with ammunition in Portsmouth having just recently come out of maintenance. The Type 45 Destroyer had been earmarked to carry out a different mission - before Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Tuesday that HMS Dragon would be deployed to the Mediterranean region. It comes days after a drone struck the runway at RAF Akrotiri, causing what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) described as "minimal damage". Western officials say the Shahed-type drone that struck RAF Akrotiri was not fired from Iran. However, officials would not say where the missile originated from. Some have questioned why the UK did not send a ship to the region sooner, given the build up of US military in the region and President Donald Trump's public threats to attack Iran. The Royal Navy has no major warship in the Mediterranean region.…