LONDON, March 1, 2026 – In a video address posted on X late Sunday evening, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that Britain has agreed to a US request to use British military bases for targeted “defensive” operations aimed at destroying Iranian missile storage depots and launchers.
Starmer described the decision as a direct response to escalating Iranian attacks threatening British personnel, civilians, and regional allies.
“The only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles,” Starmer said in the five-minute recorded statement from 10 Downing Street.
“The US has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose. We have taken the decision to accept this request, to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.”
He confirmed that British jets are already airborne as part of coordinated regional defensive operations and have “already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes.”
Starmer repeatedly stressed the strictly defensive and limited scope of UK involvement, drawing a clear line from the 2003 Iraq war.
“I want to be very clear: we all remember the mistakes of Iraq. And we have learned those lessons. We were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran, and we will not join offensive action now,” he said.
The announcement follows US and Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend, which included the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting Iranian retaliation with missile and drone attacks on Gulf states and other targets.
Starmer noted that allies in the Gulf had asked Britain to “do more to defend them” and reiterated that the UK’s actions are in line with international law and collective self-defence.
The Prime Minister’s X post, captioned simply “My update on the situation in the Middle East,” quickly drew strong reactions online, with thousands of replies criticising the move as drawing Britain deeper into Middle East conflict or praising it as necessary support for allies.
Starmer’s statement comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts, including calls with US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Gulf leaders.
The UK government has maintained that Britain played no role in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran but is now stepping up defensive support to protect regional stability and British interests.
This is a developing story. Life News Agency will continue to monitor the situation.
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