London, United Kingdom. The British government said on Friday it authorised the United States to use military bases in Britain to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Authorisation and ministerial discussions
British ministers met on Friday to discuss the war with Iran and Iran’s blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Downing Street statement.
“They confirmed that the agreement for the US to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes US defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said.
Starmer’s position and base access
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week Britain would not be drawn into a war over Iran. He initially rejected a US request to use British bases for strikes on Iran, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was legal.
Starmer later modified his stance after Iran conducted strikes on British allies across the Middle East, saying the United States could use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK base in the Indian Ocean.
Trump comments and UK call for de-escalation
President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Starmer since the conflict started, complaining he was not doing enough to help him.
On Monday, Trump said there were “some countries that greatly disappointed me” before singling out Britain, which he said had once been considered “the Rolls-Royce of allies”.
The Downing Street statement on Friday called for “urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war”.
Public opinion
Opinion polls in Britain suggest widespread scepticism about the war, with 59% of those surveyed by YouGov saying they were opposed to the US-Israeli attacks.
How do you think the UK’s decision to allow US use of its bases will affect the conflict’s prospects for de-escalation?
