UK allows US to use bases to strike Iranian targets

LONDON, March 21 (YPA) -The UK has agreed to allow the United States to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites believed to threaten navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Downing Street said on Friday that ministers held an emergency meeting to assess the escalation with Iran, including defensive operations aimed at degrading missile sites used to attack vessels in the strategic waterway.

They had approved an expansion of the targets to help protect ships in the vital oil shipping channel, still on the basis of “collective self-defence”.

The government stressed that its position remains unchanged, reiterating calls for urgent de-escalation and a swift end to the war.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously stressed that Britain does not intend to be drawn into a war with Iran, noting that he had earlier turned down a U.S. request to use British bases for strikes before the government’s position shifted as the crisis escalated.

The move comes amid mounting regional tensions and a widening scope of military activity, leaving London to balance its security obligations with its determination to avoid being pulled into a broader conflict.

@E.Y.M