The British Union flag on the Houses of Parliament in London, UK, on Friday, July 5, 2024. [Photographer: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Britain will not allow the United States to use Royal Air Force (RAF) bases to launch strikes on Iranian bridges and power plants, according to a media report.
The i Paper reported on Monday that US targeting of bridges and power plants would not fall under the definition of defensive missions. If Washington requests use of UK bases for such operations, it would be denied.
US requests permission to use RAF bases on a case-by-case basis, and no such request has yet been made for potential strikes on Tuesday, which Trump has called “Power Plant Day” and “Bridge Day.”
On Monday, US President Donald Trump again criticized the UK government over a lack of support in the Iran conflict, saying the UK has a “long way to go” and comparing Prime Minister Keir Starmer to his predecessor Neville Chamberlain, who appeased Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
READ: British MPs push back on Trump’s ‘civilization’ threat against Iran, urge end to ‘complicity’
“We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree? We don’t want Neville Chamberlain,” Trump said.
A Defense Ministry spokesperson said: “The UK authorized the United States to use British bases for defensive missions to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities which are threatening British people, bases, and our partners in the region.”
“We won’t be providing a running commentary on our allies’ operations, including their use of our bases,” the spokesperson added.
On March 1, Starmer said the UK would give permission for the US to use British bases in Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, for defensive missions, saying: “The only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source – in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles.”
Asked about the report on Tuesday, Starmer’s official spokesperson reiterated: “We won’t be providing a running commentary on allies’ operations, including their use of bases.”
The spokesperson said the government’s position has not changed, noting the agreement in place allows the US to use UK bases for collective self-defense of the region, including US defensive operations to degrade missile sites and capabilities used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.