UK allows US to use bases

London - Britain has authorised the United States to use its bases to strike Iranian sites threatening the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, the government said Friday.

A spokesperson said ministers met and "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".

Since the war began on February 28, Britain has allowed the US to use two bases for defensive operations. It has deployed air assets to support allies targeted by Tehran's regional retaliatory campaign.

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-defense 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.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said ​in a post on ⁠X that Starmer was “putting British lives in danger by ​allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran,” adding “Iran will exercise its right to self-defense.”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 the strikes on Iran, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was legal.

But the prime minister modified his ‌stance after Iran conducted strikes on British allies across the Middle East, saying ​that the United States could use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, a ​joint ‌U.S.-UK ⁠base in the Indian Ocean.

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 he singled 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 quick resolution to the war".

Opinion polls in Britain suggest widespread scepticism about the ​war, with 59% of those surveyed by YouGov saying ​that they were opposed to the US-Israeli attacks.