UK Allows US to Use Bases to Strike Iranian Sites Targeting Hormuz
LONDON: Britain has authorized the United States to use its bases to strike Iranian sites that threaten the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, the government said on Friday.
Since the war began on 28 February, Britain has allowed the US to use two bases for defensive operations and deployed air assets to support allies targeted by Tehran’s regional retaliation campaign; This led to criticism from US President Donald Trump.
A UK government spokesman said ministers had met and “confirmed that the agreement for the US to use UK bases for the collective self-defense of the region includes US defense operations to disrupt missile sites and capabilities used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Shortly afterwards, Trump told reporters at the White House that it was a “very late response” from Britain, adding: “They should have moved much faster.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “endangering British lives” by allowing the bases to be used “for offensive purposes against Iran.”
Earlier in the day, Trump had branded NATO allies “cowards” for not supporting the US-Israeli war on Iran strongly enough.
