Britain Denies Earlier US Request for Access to UK Bases Before Iran Strike

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the United States did not request access to British military bases before launching its attack on Iran. He noted that the formal request was only submitted on 28 February. On Saturday (28 February), the United States, in coordination with Israel, carried out military operations against several targets in Iran, including the capital Tehran, causing damage to infrastructure and civilian casualties. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israeli territory and several U.S. military bases in the Middle East. In reaction to reports that the British government discussed using a base on Friday and decided not to grant permission, Starmer denied any prior approval. ‘There was no request with special conditions from the US that we had approved until Saturday afternoon,’ he told reporters. He added that on Friday (27 February) there had been no formal request that could serve as a basis for decision-making. ‘Therefore, on Friday there was no concrete decision that could be made. Decisions must be made when we receive the request. The request arrived on Saturday afternoon,’ he said. Starmer explained that discussions about the conditions for use of British bases by U.S. bombers took place on Sunday. After that process, the British government ultimately granted approval. The Iranian ambassador to Jakarta stressed that Ali Khamenei had fatwa’d nuclear weapons as haram. He described nuclear weapons allegations as merely a pretext by the U.S.-Israel to carry out killings. Iran appointed a temporary governing body of three members following Ali Khamenei’s death. Meanwhile, the U.S. prepared a military operation targeting Tehran within 100 days, with the Pentagon increasing intelligence personnel amid the escalating conflict. Past experience shows that negotiations with the United States have ended in breach of agreements or even military attacks on Iran. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth investigated an air strike at the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Iran that killed 168 female students; Iran accuses the U.S.-Israel of being the perpetrators. The Diego Garcia base, jointly owned by the UK and the U.S., sits in the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean, about 2,000 km south of Sumatra. US President Donald Trump criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer for slow approval of using Diego Garcia for operations against Iran. Starmer officially authorised the use of the British base to aid the US in striking Iranian missile sites, on grounds of collective defence. Lord Mandelson was released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of misuse of office related to his ties with Jeffrey Epstein. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sent a letter to Prime Minister Starmer, supporting the removal of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession.