UK Gives Green Light for US to Use Its Military Bases to Attack Iran

The UK government has granted authorisation to the United States (US) to use its military bases to carry out attacks on Iranian missile sites that targeted ships in the Strait of Hormuz. UK ministers discussed the Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement from Downing Street.

“They affirmed that the agreement for the US to use UK bases in collective defence in the region includes US defence operations to degrade the capabilities and missile sites used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said, as reported by Arab News on Saturday (21/3/2026).

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in a post on X that Prime Minister Keir Starmer “is endangering the lives of British citizens by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran,” adding that “Iran will exercise its right to self-defence.”

Starmer stated this week that the UK would not become involved in a war related to Iran. Initially, he rejected the US request to use UK bases for attacks on Iran, saying he needed to ensure any military action was lawful.

However, the Prime Minister changed his stance after Iran carried out attacks on UK allies across the Middle East, stating that the United States could use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK base in the Indian Ocean.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Starmer since the conflict began, complaining that he has not been helpful enough.

On Monday (16/3), Trump said there were “some countries that have really disappointed me” before naming the UK, which he once regarded as the “Rolls-Royce of its allies.”

The Downing Street statement called for “urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war.”

Polls in the UK show widespread scepticism about the war, with 59% of those surveyed by YouGov saying they oppose US-Israel strikes.