The British Government confirmed this Friday that the United States is using British bases to carry out “defensive operations” intended to “neutralize” attacks against ships perpetrated by Iran in it Strait of Hormuz.
In a brief statement, a spokesperson for Downing Street (official residence and office of the British Prime Minister), Keir Starmer) confirmed that the agreement signed between the United Kingdom and the United States within the framework of the conflict in Middle East “includes US defensive operations to degrade the sites and capabilities of missiles used to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
London defends the movement hiding behind the “collective self-defense of the region” and, according to the British newspaper ‘The Times’, the bases referred to in the statement and that may have received the green light for American use would be those of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Fairford (England) and that of the Diego García Island, in the archipelago of Chagosin the Indian Ocean.
The ministers of Starmer’s Labor Executive met this afternoon in London to address the development of the escalation of war in the Middle East, as well as Iran’s recent attacks on merchant ships, civil infrastructure and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
On this last point, they reiterated that the United Kingdom is working closely with international partners to develop a “viable plan” to safeguard the international maritime transport in Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil traffic passes and which has remained de facto closed by Iran since the beginning of the war.
Economic impact
Similarly, the British Government condemned Iran’s “reckless” attacks on Irish-flagged ships, other close allied countries and Gulf partners, and stated that they risked plunging the Middle East into a deeper crisis, as well as “aggravating the economic impact” of the conflict in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.
They also reaffirmed that the United Kingdom’s principles regarding the conflict remain the same: defend your people, your interests and your alliesacting in accordance with international law, but “without becoming involved in the overall conflict.”
The United Kingdom has refused to actively participate in the war, but in addition to allowing the United States to use British bases to carry out attacks against Iran, it has also increased its presence and military strength in the Mediterranean and the Middle East as part of its “defensive operations.”
The British Ministry of Defense reported this Friday that the United Kingdom currently has more aircraft in the Gulf region than at any time in the last 15 years, while British pilots already exceed 700 flight hours.
Shortly before the permit to use the bases was announced, London confirmed having sent a “small number” of planners to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), in Florida, to help develop routes to increase security in the Strait of Hormuz.
