The US has started using UK military bases for defensive operations against Iran, as political tensions escalate between Washington and London over the conflict
FAIRFORD: The United States has begun using British military bases for specific defensive operations against Iran. The UK defence ministry confirmed the move is intended to prevent Iran from firing missiles into the region.
US President Donald Trump later rejected what he said were British plans to possibly send two aircraft carriers. He had earlier mocked Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his initial reluctance to get involved in the conflict.
Starmer had annoyed Trump by initially refusing any role in the US-Israeli war with Iran. He later agreed to a US request to use two British bases for a “specific and limited defensive purpose”.
Those bases are Fairford in Gloucestershire and the UK-US Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean. A US Air Force B-1 Lancer bomber landed at Fairford on Saturday.
An American C-5 Galaxy plane was also seen on the runway as anti-war protesters demonstrated outside. Trump had said earlier in the week he was “not happy with the UK”.
He mocked Starmer, saying “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with”. In a post on Truth Social, he dismissed reports of the UK sending carriers.
“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” he posted. “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer.”
UK media speculated that the HMS Prince of Wales could be deployed to the Mediterranean. A defence ministry spokesperson said the carrier was on “very high readiness”.
Starmer has defended his initial decision by saying any British action “must always have a lawful basis”. He insisted he was right to change his position due to Iran’s retaliation.
Lawmakers in Starmer’s Labour party remain haunted by Tony Blair’s support for the Iraq invasion. A Survation poll found 56% of respondents believed Starmer was right not to involve Britain initially.
Several thousand people marched through central London to the US embassy to protest the war. Some demonstrators waved placards with slogans including “Stop Trump’s Wars”.
