UK Gives US Green Light for Iran Strikes

This approval reverses an earlier UK decision to block the US from using its bases for potential strikes against Iran. That initial refusal, which cited concerns over the legality of pre-emptive strikes, had drawn public criticism from US President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has stipulated the bases will be used only for "specific and limited defensive purpose." The stated goal is to target Iranian missile storage depots and launchers at their source to prevent further attacks on regional allies and to protect British lives. The two primary bases understood to be available for US operations are RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which can handle American heavy bombers, and the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The UK hosts approximately 11,000 US military personnel across more than a dozen sites. The policy shift came after Iran launched a series of missile and drone attacks across the Gulf region. In a significant escalation, a suspected Iranian-made drone struck the UK's RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus, causing minor damage but no casualties. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the move, highlighting that an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 British citizens are in countries targeted by recent Iranian missile strikes. The government has published its legal position, framing the action as "collective self-defence" in support of regional allies who have requested assistance. The US military has maintained a continuous presence in the UK since the Second World War, governed by a NATO Status of Forces Agreement from 1951. Bases in the UK, such as RAF Lakenheath, were previously used for US missions during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the 1986 bombing of Libya.