Britain has agreed to a formal American request allowing the US to use UK military bases for what Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as tightly defined “defensive” operations targeting Iranian missile sites.
The decision, announced Sunday, places the United Kingdom at a pivotal junction in an escalating regional conflict — but stops short of committing British forces to offensive combat operations.
“Lessons of Iraq” Shape the Decision
Starmer emphasized that Britain would not take part in the initial wave of U.S. strikes on Iran and “will not join offensive action now.” He said the government’s approach was guided by hard-earned lessons from the Iraq war, signaling caution even as tensions flare.
“We have learned from the mistakes of Iraq,” the prime minister said, drawing a clear line between supporting allies and wading into another open-ended conflict.
Instead, he framed the move as rooted in the principle of “collective self-defense,” arguing that the UK has a duty to shield its allies — and its own citizens — from what he described as Iran’s “scorched-earth strategy.”
