"President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain's national interest. However, the situation changed on Sunday when Iran's outrageous response became a threat to our people, our interests and our allies."
"To be clear, the use of British bases is limited to the agreed defensive purposes; we are not joining the US and Israeli offensive strikes. The lessons of history have taught us that it is important when we make decisions like this, that we establish there is a lawful basis for what the United Kingdom does."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced to Parliament that the UK does not support regime change through military intervention, disagreeing with President Trump over joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Initially, Starmer refused to permit British bases for offensive operations, prioritizing national interest despite Trump's disagreement. However, after Iran launched retaliatory missiles and drones across the Middle East on Sunday, threatening British personnel and interests, the government authorized limited defensive use of UK bases to target Iranian missile infrastructure. Starmer emphasized the distinction between offensive and defensive operations, stating British involvement remains restricted to defensive purposes only and does not constitute joining US-Israeli offensive strikes.
#uk-us-relations #iran-military-response #middle-east-conflict #british-military-bases #defensive-vs-offensive-strikes
Read at www.bbc.com
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