The Iranian regime has since responded with retaliation attacks, with missile and drone strikes having been launched in countries with a US military presence, including the likes of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait.
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Despite being the US’ biggest ally, the UK has kept out of the current conflict and was not involved in the strikes signed off by the Trump administration over the weekend.Starmer initially planned on blocking the US to use RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean, for operations against Iran, but has since made a U-turn on the matter.
In a video address to the nation on Sunday (March 1), the prime minister said it had ultimately decided to accept the US’ request for ‘specific and limited defensive purpose’ of destroying Iranian’s missiles at its ‘source’.
Starmer said: « The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.
« We have taken the decision to accept this request – to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.
« The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies and protecting British lives. »
President Trump has since come out and said he was ‘very disappointed’ in Starmer after initially refusing the US access to the military sites. »That’s probably never happened between our countries before, » Trump told the Telegraph. « It sounds like he was worried about the legality.”
