Starmer risks Trump’s wrath as PM ‘refuses to allow US to use UK bases for strikes on Iran’s infrastructure’
Britain is expected to refuse to allow Donald Trump to use RAF bases for attacks on Iran’s infrastructure, including bridges and power stations, risking incurring the wrath of the US president.
As Mr Trump ramped up pressure on Tehran to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, he threatened to plunge civilian infrastructure in Iran into “hell” and warned on Tuesday that “an entire civilization will die tonight” unless a deal is reached.
Britain has previously given the US permission to use British military bases, including Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, for “defensive” strikes against Iranian missile sites.
Firstly, when asked whether the government could prevent UK assets from being used in attacks on infrastructure. i Paper, The prime minister’s official spokesman reiterated that Britain had agreed only that the US would use British bases for the “collective defense of the region”.
He said: “We will not be making ongoing comments about our allies’ operations, including the use of our bases.
“Our position on this issue has not changed. The agreement is for the United States to use the bases for the collective self-defense of the region, including defensive operations to disrupt missile sites and capabilities used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The spokesman added: “The principles behind the UK’s approach to the conflict remain 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 a wider conflict.”
This comes as international law experts warn that targeting civilian bridges and power plants could amount to war crimes.
Failure to allow the US to authorize such attacks is likely to worsen already tense relations between Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, which have become increasingly strained in recent months over the prime minister’s refusal to become involved in the wider war in Iran.
Downing Street’s decision to double down on its stance on the conflict comes just a day after Mr Trump delivered another blow by likening Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain, the former British prime minister who appeased the Nazis in the 1930s.
“We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree? We don’t want another Neville Chamberlain,” the US president said.
Reiterating his threat to attack civilian infrastructure in Iran, Mr. Trump said there will be “no bridges… no power plants… nothing” in the country unless it gives in to his demands.
He said he “won’t go further, because there are other things that are worse than those two”, adding: “If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil. Because it’s there for the taking. There’s not a thing they can do about it.
“Unfortunately, the American people want us to come home. If it were up to me, I would take the oil, I would keep the oil.” […] “I would make a lot of money and at the same time take care of the Iranian people.”
A Ministry of Defense spokesman said: “The UK has authorized the US to use British bases for defense missions to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities that threaten British people, its bases and our partners in the region.
“The US is using British bases for certain defensive operations to prevent Iran from firing missiles into the region, putting British lives at risk. This is on top of the UK’s defensive action to protect British people across the region.”
“We will not provide ongoing commentary on the operations of our allies, including their use of our bases.”
