Britain Allows US to Use Bases to Attack Iran in Hormuz
London (ANTARA) - The British government has approved the expansion of US access to British bases for operations targeting Iran’s missile capabilities that threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Downing Street statement.
The government statement said that in Friday’s meeting (20/3), Cabinet ministers “confirmed that the agreement for the US to use British bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes US defence operations to degrade missile capabilities and sites used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The government emphasised that “the principles behind the UK’s approach to the conflict remain the same” and called for “urgent de-escalation and a swift end to the war.”
The Cabinet ministers “condemned Iran’s expansion of targets to include international shipping.”
“They agreed that Iran’s reckless attacks, including against Red Ensign (British Shipping Registers) ships and allied and Gulf partner ships, risk pushing the region further into crisis and exacerbating the economic impacts felt in the UK and around the world.”
In a post on his X social media account, Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch described the decision as “the biggest U-turn of all time.”
Since the intensive US-Israel attacks began on 28 February, Britain has shifted from initial refusal of base access to a state of deep logistical and kinetic integration.
“While taking the necessary actions to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not become involved in a wider war,” said British Prime Minister Starmer on Monday, adding that the British government would continue efforts to end the fighting.
However, Britain’s increasingly expansive role in the conflict has triggered growing debate about whether the distinctions are becoming harder to maintain.
Regional hostilities in the Middle East have intensified since Israel and the US launched combined attacks against Iran on 28 February, which have so far killed around 1,300 people, including Iran’s then-top leader, Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks across the region and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to most ships.
The Strait of Hormuz is a major oil transit route that typically handles around 20 million barrels per day and about 20 per cent of global liquefied natural gas trade.