U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday said his country would not take part in airstrikes against Iran, though it has participated in defensive operations in the region.
"This government does not believe in regime change from the skies," he said.
Starmer said the U.K. would join the U.S. and Israeli offensive against Iran only if there were a "viable through-through plan" with an achievable objective.
On Sunday, Starmer announced that he agreed to let the U.S. use bases for attacks on Iran's missiles and their launch sites.
He said the change came in response to Iranian attacks on U.K. interests and British allies in the Gulf and is legal under international law.
Britain says its bases can't be used for attacks on political and economic targets in Iran.
"We are not joining these strikes," Starmer said, "but we will continue with our defensive actions in the region."
A Royal Air Force base in Cyprus was struck by an Iranian-made drone Sunday.
Sirens sounded again at RAF Akrotiri on Monday, and British warplanes were scrambled, apparently in response to a new threat.
U.K. officials reported no injuries and "minimal" damage, but the strike brought the conflict onto European soil.
It was not immediately clear whether the drone was launched from Iran or by a Tehran-backed militant group such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Some 12 hours later, sirens sounded again as two Typhoon fighter jets and a pair of F-35 warplanes roared into the air. An area resident showed to The Associated Press a text message sent from base authorities warning of an "ongoing security threat" and urging people to stay indoors and away from windows.
The Cypriot government said two drones headed for Cyprus were intercepted on Monday.
Akrotiri is the U.K.'s main air base for operations in the Middle East and in recent years has been used by British warplanes on missions against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and to strike Houthi targets in Yemen.
"The U.K. is not at war," Britain's Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said Monday.
He told the BBC that Iran has ballistic missiles "pointed at the Gulf, and it is vital that those missile launchers are taken out in the face of these completely reckless attacks."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.