Remember me
The US has started using British bases for “specific defensive operations” after American bombers landed at a Gloucestershire base.
A first 146ft B-1 Lancer arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening and three more followed on Saturday morning as Donald Trump warned Iran would be “hit very hard”.
The Ministry of Defence said the US was using the bases for “specific defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region” and putting British lives at risk.
A Merlin helicopter is also being sent to the region to help with surveillance from the air and RAF Typhoon and F-35 jets are continuing air operations over Jordan, Qatar and Cyprus.
Sir Keir Starmer had granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases.
Meanwhile, a second Government charter flight carrying British citizens from Oman landed at Gatwick Airport in the early hours of Saturday as efforts to help people trapped in the war zone continue.
A third will be leaving Muscat, Oman, on Sunday, and the Foreign Office.
The UK Government also plans to charter a commercial flight out of the United Arab Emirates which would leave Dubai early next week subject to the situation on the ground.
British nationals and their spouse or partner and children under the age of 18 are eligible to register their interest.
More than 13,000 Britons have returned from the United Arab Emirates and nearly 27,000 from the region since March 1.
On Saturday morning, Emirates announced it was suspending all flights to and from Dubai after blasts were reportedly heard in the city but said flights would resume about 30 minutes later.
A Rockwell B-1 Lancer has arrived in the UK (Andrew Matthews/PA) Donald Trump appeared to warn in a post on Truth Social that more Iranian officials would become targets in the war, adding: “Today Iran will be hit very hard!”
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian spoke on state TV to apologise to neighbouring nations over Tehran’s attacks and reject US demands for an unconditional surrender.
Questions linger over the UK’s future role in the conflict, with Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy suggesting RAF jets could legally strike Iranian missile sites being used to attack British interests in the Middle East.
Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, signalled that the UK could join more proactive strikes in future, saying “campaigns and conflicts evolve over time”.
The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is described as a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber (Andrew Matthews/PA) In a call with Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman on Friday, the Prime Minister said the UK stands ready to help defend the country should it be needed.
It comes after Britain was criticised by allies over its response to the crisis, particularly over the defence of Cyprus, where a UK base was struck by a drone earlier this week.
Air defence destroyer HMS Dragon is not expected to sail to the eastern Mediterranean until next week while France and Greece have already deployed military assets to defend the island.
One reason it is taking some time to prepare the Type 45 destroyer is because it is being equipped to remain at sea for several months if required, rather than rushed into the eastern Mediterranean for a short period.
Sir Keir Starmer has allowed ‘defensive’ US strikes on Iranian missile sites from UK bases (Jaimi Joy/PA) Tory leader Kemi Badenoch renewed her attack on the UK’s response to the war in a speech on Saturday, saying the Prime Minister is “too scared to make foreign interventions” and that the UK is “in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not”.
Sir Keir has defended his decision not to permit the US to use British bases in the opening assault against the Tehran regime, suggesting it could have been unlawful and arguing the Government must keep a “cool head”.
The Prime Minister agreed on Sunday to allow the US to strike Iran defensively from Fairford and Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean.
Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Sir Keir said at moments like this the country needs “seriousness, not political games”.
“While opposition parties seek to undermine Britain on the world stage, my Labour Government is focused on protecting British people at home and abroad.”
Sir Tony Blair has reportedly weighed in, saying at a private event that he thought the UK should have supported Mr Trump right away.
“I am not saying anything that I haven’t already said to the government … I think we should have backed America from the very beginning,” the former Labour prime minister told an event hosted by Jewish News, the Daily Mail reported.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that strikes were “about to surge dramatically”, referring to “more fighter squadrons, more defensive capabilities and more bomber pulses more frequently”.
In other developments on Saturday:
– The Iranian ambassador to the UK told the BBC the UK should be “very careful” about becoming further involved in the war.
– Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates all reported they intercepted missiles and drones from Iran hours after the Iranian president apologised on Saturday for attacks on “neighbouring countries”.
– A prominent cleric in Iran, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, urged the country’s Assembly of Experts to act quickly and name a new supreme leader.
