London, United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday defended his actions in the Middle East, rejecting President Donald Trump’s criticism of Britain for not joining strikes against Iran. Starmer said his decisions were guided by law and the national interest.
Parliament address and UK role
Starmer told parliament he authorised the “limited” use of British military bases by the United States on Sunday after Britons came under attack by what he called “reckless” Iranian drone and missile strikes. He said he stood by his decision not to join “offensive strikes” on Iran that were launched on Saturday.
“We were not involved in the initial strikes against Iran, and we will not join offensive action now. But in the face of Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones, we will protect our people in the region,” Starmer told parliament.
Domestic political pressure
Starmer has faced opposing views in Britain, with calls from the left to condemn US and Israeli action, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised him for not backing the strikes.
Trump’s criticism
Starmer said Trump disagreed with Britain’s decision not to take part in the initial strikes. “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I’ve done, and I stand by it,” he said.
Earlier, Trump told the Daily Telegraph he believed Britain had taken too long to allow Washington to use its bases in operations against Iran. In an interview published on Monday, Trump said Starmer appeared to be “worried about the legality” of the strikes, adding that the shift in stance took “far too much time”.
International law and Iraq reference
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, has promoted what he calls an “iron-clad” commitment to international law. He told parliament he did not want to repeat mistakes made over the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when Britain joined US action to remove Saddam Hussein based on false claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
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