The British government has reportedly stopped the US from using Royal Air Force bases to assist in any prospective strike on Iran.
RAF sites in Gloucestershire have previously been used to support US military action, alongside Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. But The Times reports that the UK has now refused permission for American forces to use RAF bases for operations targeting Iran.
The same report suggests the decision may be linked to Donald Trump later pulling back his support for the UK’s stance on the Chagos Islands.
Earlier on, the Trump administration appeared broadly supportive of the UK government’s direction on the issue, with the president telling Keir Starmer he had a ‘a feeling it’s going to work out very well’.
More recently, however, Trump criticised the plan in a Truth Social post, claiming Starmer is ‘making a big mistake by entering [into] a 100-year lease’ with Mauritius.
In the longer message, Trump wrote: “I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease with whoever it is that is ‘claiming’ Right, Title, and Interest to Diego Garcia, strategically located in the Indian Ocean.
“Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature.”
He continued: “Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease. This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally. We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them.”
Diego Garcia forms part of the Chagos Islands and hosts a joint US-UK military facility. Under the proposed agreement, the UK would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining access to the base under a 99-year arrangement reportedly costing £101m ($136m) per year.
After Trump’s remarks, the UK government said it would ‘never compromise on our national security’.