RAF airbase in Cyprus hit as Cooper defends decision to allow US to use UK bases for Iran strikes – UK politics live | Politics
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Claims that Britain is being drawn into the escalating Iran conflict are “absolutely untrue”, Cooper says
When asked on Sky News whether Britain was being dragged into another situation. Iraq-style conflict Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Middle East Yvette Cooper He said: “This is absolutely not true.”
“We made a very specific decision not to support the strikes that took place this weekend. We made it clear that we believe there should be a diplomatic process, a negotiation process,” Cooper said.
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RAF airbase in Cyprus hit as Cooper defends US decision to allow Iran to use UK bases for attacks
Good morning and welcome to our live broadcast today.
Just hours later Keir Starmer He said Britain allowed the US to use British military bases to attack Iran’s missile sites. RAF Akrotiri base He was hit by a suspected drone strike in Cyprus.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yvette Cooperwandering around morning shows, approved No further details were given about the attack on the Akrotiri base. Cypriot officials and the Ministry of Defense announced that there was no loss of life and the damage was limited.
On BBC Breakfast, Cooper defended the decision to allow the US to use UK military bases, saying the decision was purely “about defensive action around the Gulf”.
“We made a deliberate decision not to support the US strikes that took place over the weekend. We continued to maintain the view that we wanted to see diplomatic progress and negotiated this threat from Iran’s nuclear weapons,” Cooper said.
“But now we also face the following situation: There are an estimated 300,000 British nationals in other Gulf countries It is being targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
“That’s why we’re providing support to the defensive operation. It’s important to say that the UK will not be directly involved in these attacks, it is providing support. This is about ballistic missiles and launches directed towards the Gulf. This is just about the defensive action around the Gulf. This is not about support for any political, economic or wider infrastructure objectives.” There is a clear difference.”
For the latest developments on the Middle East, please follow The Guardian’s live coverage here.
Cooper fielded a series of questions about possible British evacuation plans from the hit Gulf states. He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain they were working with airlines, travel companies and local authorities and sending rapid deployment teams to provide support to Britons in the region. closed airspace and flights over land. he said 102,000 British citizens They registered their presence in the region.
“We’re telling people that the most important thing right now is to follow local advice, which is mostly about sheltering in place, and we’re sending rapid deployment teams into the area to work with the travel industry, to work with local authorities as well,” Cooper told Sky News. said Cooper.
“Of course we want people to get home safely as quickly as possible.”
