UK allows US forces to use British bases

The UK on Friday granted US forces permission to use British military bases to launch strikes against Iran. The permission was granted to destroy Iranian missile installations that are attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

A Downing Street statement said it confirmed that the agreement for US forces to use British bases for joint self-defense in the region includes US defensive operations to destroy missile installations and capabilities used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The statement also called for an urgent de-escalation and a quick resolution to the war.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in X that Starmer was putting British lives at risk by allowing British bases to be used for aggression against Iran. He added that Iran would exercise its right to self-defense.

Starmer said earlier this week that Britain would not be drawn into a war with Iran. He initially rejected a US request to use British bases to attack Iran. He said any military action must be made legal.

But Starmer changed his position after Iran attacked British allies in the Middle East. He allowed the use of RAF Fairford and the joint US-British base of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

Trump has been repeatedly attacking Starmer since the beginning of the conflict. On Monday, he said that some countries had let him down. Then he singled out Britain, saying that Britain was once considered an ally of Rolls-Royce.

Opinion polls in Britain show widespread skepticism about the war. A YouGov poll found 59 percent of people opposed a US-Israeli attack.