London permits US military strikes on Iranian sites from UK territory

The British government on Friday (March 20) authorised the United States to use military bases in the U.K. to strike Iranian missile sites targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

British ministers convened on Friday to discuss Iran’s attacks on shipping and its blockade of the strategic waterway, according to a statement from Downing Street, Caliber.Az reports per British media.

"They confirmed that the agreement for the U.S. to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes U.S. 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 Araghchi criticised the move on social media platform X, saying Starmer was "putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran," and added that "Iran will exercise its right to self-defence."

Prime Minister Starmer, who earlier rejected a U.S. request to use British bases, said Britain would not be drawn into a war over Iran.

He initially insisted he needed to be satisfied that any military action was legal. However, following Iranian strikes on British allies in the region, he allowed the U.S. to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. base in the Indian Ocean.

By Aghakazim Guliyev