Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the US will be allowed to use UK military bases for operations linked to strikes on Iran, a move that has reportedly irked Donald Trump.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated after the Trump administration ordered missile strikes on Iran’s capital, Tehran, on February 28, while also urging Iranians to push for a change in leadership.
Iran has since responded with retaliatory action, with missile and drone attacks reported in states hosting a US military presence, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait.
Although Britain is considered the US’ closest ally, the UK has so far stayed out of the current fighting and did not take part in the strikes authorised by the Trump administration over the weekend.
Starmer had initially been expected to deny the US access to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia for activity connected to Iran. However, he later reversed course.
In a video message to the country on Sunday (March 1), the prime minister said the government had chosen to approve a US request for what he described as the “specific and limited defensive purpose” of taking out Iranian missiles at their “source”.
Starmer said: “The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.
“We have taken the decision to accept this request – to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.
“The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies and protecting British lives.”
Trump has since publicly criticised Starmer, saying he was unhappy about the UK’s earlier hesitation over granting access to the sites.
“That’s probably never happened between our countries before,” Trump told the Telegraph. “It sounds like he was worried about the legality.”
Discussing Starmer’s U-turn, Trump added: “It is useful. It took far too much time. Far too much time.”
The US-Israel strikes have drawn mixed reactions, but Trump argued the operation was justified, describing it as a step he said was needed to prevent Americans from facing what he characterised as an extreme and violent nuclear-armed threat.
“For almost 50 years, these wicked extremists have been attacking the United States while chanting the slogan ‘Death to America’ or ‘Death to Israel’ or both. They are the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” he added in a statement as the attack was launched.