The United Kingdom has given the U.S. authorization to use its military bases to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, following a ministers' meeting.
"They [British ministers] confirmed that the agreement for the U.S. to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes U.S. defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz," a statement from 10 Downing Street, the home of the prime minister, said.
The statement led to a rebuke from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on social media.
"Vast majority of the British People do not want any part in the Israel-U.S. war of choice on Iran," Araghchi wrote. "Ignoring his own People, Mr. Starmer [British Prime Minister Keir Starmer] is putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran."
"Iran will exercise its right to self-defense," Araghchi added.
Starmer has vowed that the U.K. would not be drawn into a war with Iran and had previously rejected a U.S. request to use British bases for the strikes on Iran, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was legal.
President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Starmer, saying he once considered the U.K. as "the Rolls-Royce of allies."
On Friday, Trump said Britain "should've acted a lot faster."
"It's been a very late response from the U.K.," Trump said. "It's a surprise because the relationship is so good. This has never happened before. They were really pretty much our first ally all over the world."
But Starmer changed his stance after Iran conducted strikes on British allies across the Middle East, saying that the United States could use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. base in the Indian Ocean.
British ministers "reaffirmed that the principles behind the UK's approach to the conflict remain the same: the UK remains committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict," the statement from Downing Street said.
Reuters 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.
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