Has Jeremy Hunt taken his eye off the ball on Iran in race for Downing Street?
It's a question made more relevant by the fact that the foreign secretary has been busy fighting a leadership campaign.
Saturday 20 July 2019 15:24, UK
Could the government have done more to protect UK vessels from Iranian aggression?
Some military experts, industry bosses and politicians think so.
And it's a question made more relevant by the fact that the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been busy fighting a leadership campaign.
While the prime minister and those around her have been preparing to leave office.
Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell told Sky News there "clearly is a worry" that Mr Hunt took his eye off the ball on Iran amid the drama of the race for Downing Street.
He said reassurances were now needed that the foreign secretary and the probable incoming prime minister, Boris Johnson, were focused on the task at hand.
That could be dismissed as political point scoring if it wasn't for other concerns being aired by more independent voices.
The former head of the Royal Navy, Lord West, said he was "amazed" that Britain hadn't brought in measures for UK ships to be given military escorts through such a dangerous waterway.
Industry bosses have made similar noises. But others wonder whether the Royal Navy has the capacity to protect all the UK ships travelling through the Gulf. No wonder there's talk of an international escort programme.
Nevertheless, Iran did warn of repercussions following the detention of a tanker carrying Iranian oil by Royal Marines off the coast of Gibraltar.
Now Labour says questions need to be answered about whether preparations for a backlash from Tehran were adequate.
Coming to the foreign secretary's defence, cabinet colleague James Brokenshire (someone who is actually backing Boris Johnson) said he does not accept that Mr Hunt has been distracted.
He also pushed back on the idea there's been some kind of "power vacuum", saying "the structures, the systems of government… remain firmly in place".
That is true, but there are concerns coming from within the Conservative Party about a lack of political clout recently.
Chair of influential Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat, tweeted that "the hiatus in power in the UK has gone on too long".
Addressing the two men competing to be prime minister, he continued "we are being tested by friends and enemies. We need leadership. This is not a game".
When this former soldier turned MP talks about being "tested by friends", he's talking about Donald Trump and his harder line approach to Iran.
That's a test the next prime minister will quickly have to grapple with.
If it's Boris Johnson, could he tack towards his apparent pal in the White House and take a tougher approach with Tehran?
We won't have to wait long to find out.