Britain authorizes US use of bases for operations against Iran

Britain has announced it will permit Washington to utilize its regional military bases, effectively pledging support for the US-led campaign against Iran.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has thrown his support behind the conflict against Tehran, citing the Iranian regime’s persistent use of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles to strike allies across the Middle East.

In a video address posted to X, the Prime Minister stated:

“The United States requested permission to utilize British bases for specific and limited defensive purposes. We have decided to grant this request to prevent Iran from launching missile strikes across the region, killing civilians, endangering the lives of British citizens, and targeting non-belligerent nations.”

Britain, alongside France and Germany, had previously issued a joint statement indicating that the three nations might, for the first time, support strikes launched by the US and Israel on Iranian territory.

The statement declared: “To defend our interests and those of our allies, we will take necessary and proportionate defensive measures, including steps to eliminate at the source Iran’s capacity to launch missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. We have decided to coordinate these efforts with the US and our regional allies.”

Previously, citing international law, Britain had denied the US permission to utilize RAF Fairford and the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands.

That decision had prompted Donald Trump to withdraw his support for the agreement under which Starmer intended to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius.

This shift in Britain’s stance follows two days of intense bombardment of Iranian targets and retaliatory strikes by Iran against Gulf nations.

RAF base in Cyprus hit by drone strike

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides confirmed that a Shahed drone strike targeted the RAF Akrotiri base around midnight local time.

Explosions were heard near the base in the Limassol region, and British personnel were ordered to seek shelter following a “security threat” alert.

According to GB News, there were no casualties, though the airfield sustained “minor damage.”

The Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident in a statement, noting that the Armed Forces had responded to a “suspected drone attack.”

A spokesperson said: “The protection of our forces in the region is of the highest priority, and the base intervened to protect our people. This is an ongoing situation, and further information will be shared in due course.”