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UK Allows US to Use Fairford and Diego Garcia Bases for Limited Iran ‘Defensive’ Mission
Britain has approved a US request to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia bases for limited defensive operations as tensions with Iran escalate in the Middle East conflict.
Britain has granted the United States permission to use two of its military bases for limited operations aimed at countering Iran during the ongoing Middle East war, officials confirmed Saturday.
According to the UK defence ministry, the bases are being used for “specific defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had originally declined to support the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on February 28, a move that drew criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Trump publicly expressed displeasure, stating he was “not happy with the UK” and joking that “this is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with”.
Starmer later reversed course and approved Washington’s request to use the British facilities for what officials described as a “specific and limited defensive purpose”.
The two sites are RAF Fairford in western England and the joint UK-US base at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean’s Chagos Islands.
An AFP journalist observed a US Air Force Rockwell B‑1 Lancer bomber landing at Fairford on Saturday. A Lockheed C‑5 Galaxy aircraft was also stationed on the runway as anti-war protesters demonstrated outside the base.
Defending his earlier hesitation, Starmer said the UK must ensure any action “must always have a lawful basis and a viable thought-through plan”.
However, he said Iran’s missile and drone retaliation against US-Israeli strikes had begun threatening British allies and interests in the region, prompting the policy shift.
The decision comes amid lingering political caution within the ruling Labour Party, where memories remain strong of former prime minister Tony Blair’s backing of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by Survation and published Friday showed that 56 percent of Britons supported Starmer’s initial refusal to participate in the first strikes, compared with 27 percent who disagreed.
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