Iran-Israel Conflict Explodes
The Mideast crisis has dramatically escalated, with Iran launching a wave of retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Israeli cities. In response, Israeli warplanes, supported by the U.S., are pounding military targets in Tehran as the UK grants the U.S. access to its bases for strikes.
This direct military exchange is a departure from the long-standing "shadow war" between Iran and Israel, which has been waged through proxy forces, cyberattacks, and assassinations for decades. Since 1985, Iran has supported anti-Israel militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories, while Israel has conducted airstrikes on Iranian-linked targets in Syria and is believed to be behind the assassinations of several Iranian nuclear scientists. The current escalation follows a pattern of increasing direct confrontations that began in 2024. A key event was an Israeli airstrike in April 2024 on an Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, which killed several senior Iranian military officials. This led to Iran launching its first-ever direct missile and drone attack on Israel. A brief but intense 12-day war erupted in June 2025, during which Israel targeted Iran's nuclear and military facilities. In retaliation, Iran launched over 550 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 drones at Israeli cities and military sites. That conflict resulted in significant casualties, with reports of over 1,100 killed in Iran and 28 in Israel. The United States has approximately 11,000 military personnel stationed across 13 Royal Air Force bases in the UK. For the current operations, the UK has granted the U.S. permission to use specific bases, including RAF Fairford and the strategic Indian Ocean outpost of Diego Garcia, for the limited purpose of targeting Iranian missile facilities. This decision was reportedly met with initial hesitation from the UK government. A major concern in this escalating conflict is the potential for disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies. Roughly 20% of the world's total oil consumption and a significant portion of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) pass through this narrow waterway daily. Any blockage could lead to a sharp increase in global energy prices. The conflict has already seen the elimination of high-profile Iranian leaders. In June 2025, Israeli strikes killed the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, General Mahmoud Bagheri, and other senior military figures. The current strikes have reportedly killed Ali Shamkhani, a key advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was involved in nuclear negotiations with the U.S.
