UK Grants US Access to Bases for Iran Strikes
The United Kingdom has reportedly granted the U.S. access to its military bases for potential strikes against Iran. This policy shift deepens the UK's alignment with Washington's hardline stance and risks drawing London more directly into the escalating conflict.
The decision to grant the U.S. access to UK bases for potential strikes against Iran is for the "specific and limited defensive purpose" of targeting missile launch sites and storage depots. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that while British forces will not be directly involved in offensive strikes, the move is necessary for the "collective self-defence" of regional allies and to protect the at least 200,000 British citizens in the region. This marks a shift in London's position, as it had previously hesitated to allow U.S. forces to use its bases for strikes against Iran due to legal concerns. The change in policy followed a series of Iranian missile and drone attacks across the Middle East, including one that narrowly missed British personnel at a military base in Bahrain and a drone strike on the UK's Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus. Potential locations for U.S. operations include RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which has previously hosted American B-52 bombers, and the strategic base on Diego Garcia, a British overseas territory in the Indian Ocean. The U.S. has a long-standing military presence in the UK, with approximately 10,000 personnel stationed across various bases, a legacy of cooperation dating back to the Second World War. The legal framework for the U.S. military presence in the UK is the 1951 NATO Status of Forces Agreement. Historically, U.S. forces have used UK bases for operations, including the 1986 bombing of Libya and for missions related to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus has also been a key hub for British operations in the Middle East and was used to support missile strikes against Syria in 2018.
