Middle East Heats Up as Britain Says It Is Ready to Support Saudi Arabia's Defence
The British government says it stands ready to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s defence amid the escalating conflict in the increasingly volatile Middle East. The assurance was given by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
According to DetikNews, the conflict, which began with a US-Israeli strike on Iran, is now entering its seventh day. The strike that killed the Islamic Republic’s top leader involved countries in the Gulf region.
Countries around the Gulf have been struck, with disruption in the energy and transport sectors. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia reported that it had intercepted a cruise missile and three drones on Friday 6 March.
“Britain stands ready to support the United Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s defence if needed,” a spokesperson for the British Prime Minister said, as reported by AFP on Saturday 7 March 2026.
“The leaders also discussed stepped-up intelligence cooperation to support defensive operations and protect civilians,” the spokesperson added.
It is understood that Britain has previously sent an additional four Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar to bolster defensive operations. Britain will also deploy HMS Dragon, an air-defence destroyer, although it is not expected to sail until next week.
Britain’s airbase in Cyprus was attacked by an Iranian-made drone last Monday. According to the Cypriot government, the drone was likely launched from Lebanon by the pro-Iran Hezbollah group.
Separately, Starmer has faced criticism from some opposition voices at home for being too slow to respond to the war in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the US government says it is on track to seize air superiority over Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said this on Friday 6 March.
She added that Washington expects the objective to be achieved within four to six weeks. Leavitt also said Washington is considering potential candidates to lead Iran.
“I know there are several individuals being considered by our intelligence agencies and the U.S. government, but I won’t go into further detail about that,” Leavitt said on Saturday.
She spoke a day after President Donald Trump said the U.S. should be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader. On 6 March, Trump said there would be no deal with Iran unless unconditional surrender.
“What the President means is that when he, as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States, and the objective of Operation Epic Fury has been fully achieved, Iran will essentially be in a position of unconditional surrender, whether or not they say so themselves,” Leavitt said.
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