UK ‘ready to defend itself’ after Iranian threat over US bases | US-Israel war on Iran
The government has said Britain is “ready to defend itself” after the Iranian military warned bases used by the US were “legitimate targets”.
Since the beginning of the war against Iran, Britain has allowed the United States to launch “defensive” operations from British bases hosting American aircraft but has refused to assist offensive operations.
This policy has not been changed by the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, who was informed last week that a decision had been made to extend the agreement with the United States.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement on Thursday that “any base used to attack Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces.”
In a statement published on the Revolutionary Guard’s Tasnim news agency, the group said American bombing operations were launched from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire two days ago.
The statement came after the United States carried out its 12th consecutive night attack against targets in Iran. The Department of Defense did not comment this week on whether Fairford was used by the United States in operations against Iran.
The Revolutionary Guard also accused the “British monarchy regime” of being “the main cause of the troubles in our region, which has a black record of dividing Islamic nations, committing widespread massacres, imposing despotic regimes and organizing the occupation of Palestine.”
He warned the government not to “aggravate his record further”.
A spokesman for the British government said: “Our armed forces stand ready to defend the UK against any attack, whether from our own territory or from abroad. The UK is ready 24/7 to defend itself.”
“This includes implementing a layered approach to air and missile defence, provided by Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force assets equipped with a range of advanced capabilities, working closely with our NATO allies.
“We are determined to defend our people, our interests and our allies, to act in accordance with international law and not to be drawn into a wider conflict.”
On March 1, a drone crashed into the RAF base at Akrotiri in Cyprus, crashing into a hangar and leading to the partial evacuation of the facility. On March 19, Iran fired two ballistic missiles at Britain’s Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands. One reportedly failed in flight, while the other was shot down by a US airship.
Iran has launched attacks on Gulf countries that host US military bases, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, killing American service personnel in some attacks. Donald Trump said Iran “will pay a big price” for killing US soldiers.
On Thursday afternoon, the US president said he was considering ordering a “major strike” on Iran. “I’m close to making a decision,” he told Axios. “We’re all ready for this.” He said he believed Iranian leaders “wanted to negotiate” but were not yet ready to make a deal.
In another sign of a potential escalation of the conflict, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday, as oil prices surpassed $100 a barrel.
