UK ‘ready to defend itself’ after Iran says bases are ‘legitimate targets’
After Iran said that British bases used by the USA were seen as “legitimate targets”, the British government said it was “ready 24/7 to defend itself”.
While Britain refused to cooperate in offensive operations against Iran, it allowed the United States to launch “defensive” operations from British bases housing American personnel and aircraft.
Iran’s foreign ministry said Britain was “complicit” in the US war, while the powerful military wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said any country supporting the US militarily “will be responsible for the consequences and repercussions”.
This comes as the United States carried out its 13th consecutive night strike against targets in Iran.
While US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the British government and former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for what he sees as a lack of support for his war, Iran’s comments on July 23 were aimed at portraying Britain as a party to the campaign.
In March, days before the US-Israeli-led war, the US was given permission to use British bases, including RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, to target Iranian military infrastructure used to attack Gulf states and ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
This policy has not been changed by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was informed last week that a decision had been made to extend the agreement with the United States.
In a statement published July 23 on the Revolutionary Guard’s Tasnim News Agency, the group said American bombing operations had been launched from RAF Fairford two days earlier.
The UK Ministry of Defense did not comment this week on whether the base was used by the US in operations against Iran.
Responding to Iran’s threats, a UK government spokesman 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.
“The UK’s approach to the conflict remains the same; 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 the wider conflict.”
Days after the war began on February 28, Iranian Ambassador to London Seyed Ali Mousavi said that if Britain joined the war, Iran would have the “right of self-defense” and should be “very careful” about participating.
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 warship.
At the time, there were doubts about whether Iran had missiles capable of reaching the archipelago, which is about 2,360 miles (3,600 km) from Iran.
The same month, Israel claimed that Iran had missiles capable of reaching 4,000 km (2,485 mi); This meant that, in theory, they could reach the UK and mainland European countries.
However, then-Housing Secretary Steve Reed told BBC News at the time that “there was no specific assessment that the Iranians were targeting the UK or could do so if they wanted to”.
Analysts have also expressed doubts about the reliability and accuracy of Iran’s missile arsenal, which the United States says has been severely degraded by the attacks.
Iran has launched attacks on several countries hosting US military bases in the Gulf in recent months, while attacks on civilian ships in the Strait of Hormuz have effectively closed the vital shipping route.
On Thursday evening, US Central Command (Centcom) said it had completed a 13th night of attacks against Iran and was designed to “further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten civilian sailors and commercial vessels passing through regional waters.”
The Strait of Hormuz remains open to passage despite the latest attacks, the organization said, adding that commercial ships continue to “navigate freely” in the waterway with US military support.
