Keir Starmer said on Sunday that Britain has approved a U.S. request to use British military bases for limited defensive strikes targeting Iranian missile storage depots and launchers.
In a video message posted on X, Starmer stated that the decision was taken to prevent Iran from launching missiles across the region. He emphasized that the permission granted to the United States was for a “specific and limited defensive purpose.”
The British prime minister reiterated that the UK was not involved in the recent joint U.S.-Israel air strikes on Iran that reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday. He added that Britain would not participate in any further waves of offensive strikes.
However, Starmer said Iran had retaliated with sustained missile attacks across the region, with some missiles hitting airports and hotels where British nationals were staying. “Our decision that the UK would not be involved with the strikes on Iran was deliberate,” he said, stressing that Britain believes a negotiated settlement remains the best path forward. He called for an agreement in which Iran would abandon any ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.
Despite Britain’s non-involvement in the initial strikes, Starmer warned that Iran was targeting British interests and putting British citizens at significant risk.
He noted that Gulf partners had urged the UK to take stronger defensive measures, and said it was his duty to safeguard British lives. British fighter jets are already participating in coordinated defensive operations and have intercepted Iranian missile attacks, he added.
Starmer concluded that allowing U.S. forces to use British bases was grounded in the principle of collective self-defense among long-standing allies and in line with international law, aimed at neutralizing missile threats at their source.