London allowed the US to use the Fairford and Diego García bases to defend against Iranian missiles. Starmer’s turn comes after tensions with Donald Trump.
The United States has begun using British bases for certain operations against Iran during the war in the Middle East, the government in London announced on Saturday. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP news agency.
- The United States uses British bases for defensive operations against Iran.
- American operations from British bases are to prevent Iranian missile attacks in the region.
- Keir Starmer initially denied any role for Britain in the conflict with Iran.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said the US had begun using military bases for “specific defensive operations to prevent Iran from launching missiles into the region”.
Starmer changes his mind
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer angered US President Donald Trump when he initially ruled out any role in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began on February 28. He later agreed to a US request to use two British military bases for “specific and limited defensive purposes”.
These bases are located in Fairford, Gloucestershire, West England, and the British-American Diego García Complex in the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
A well-thought-out plan by the prime minister
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, defended his original decision by saying that any UK decision “must always have a legal basis and a thoughtful plan”. Starmer also insisted he was right to change his stance because Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes to US-Israeli strikes threatened British interests and allies in the region.
Starmer’s ruling Labor MPs remain “haunted” by former prime minister Tony Blair’s disastrous support for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
Public support
A survey by Survation of 1,045 Britons found that 56 per cent of respondents believed Starmer had done the right thing by not engaging Britain in the initial attacks. Only 27 percent of respondents believe he made a mistake.
