Image: from MAKS 25 X @Maks_NAFO_FELLA
By Open Chronicle Staff
Sunday, March 1, 2026
LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday that the United Kingdom has formally granted the United States permission to utilize British military bases for “specific and limited defensive purposes” to counter escalating Iranian missile activity.
The decision comes as a direct response to a surge in Iranian missile launches across the Gulf region, a situation the Prime Minister described as a critical threat to regional stability and British interests abroad.
“The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose. We have decided to accept this request,” Starmer said in an official statement. He emphasized that the primary objectives are to “prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.”
⚡️UK's Keir Starmer:
The only way to stop the threat is to destroy Iranian missiles at source, in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles.
The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive… pic.twitter.com/X9AULtZejb
— The Global Monitor (@theglobal4u) March 1, 2026
A Strategy of Containment
While the UK is opening its doors to American operations, Starmer was careful to distance British forces from direct offensive participation. He noted that the decision for the UK to refrain from being directly involved in the strikes was “deliberate,” reiterating London’s preference for a “negotiated settlement” as the ultimate solution for regional peace.
However, the Prime Minister maintained that the current threat necessitates immediate kinetic action. According to Starmer, the only effective way to neutralize the danger is to “destroy the missiles at source,” targeting storage depots and launchers before they can be deployed.
Protecting Citizens and Personnel
The stakes for the United Kingdom are high. Starmer revealed that there are “at least 200,000” British citizens currently in the affected region, ranging from long-term residents to holidaymakers.
The Foreign Ministry has updated its travel advice, urging Britons in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates to “immediately shelter in place.” Starmer also highlighted that the Iranian threat poses an “endangering” risk to Britain’s armed forces stationed in the Middle East.
International Alignment
The UK’s move follows a joint declaration from “the E3”, France, Germany, and the UK, expressing a collective readiness to defend interests and allies in the Gulf. A separate legal position published on the UK government website underscored that the decision is rooted in the “collective self-defence of longstanding friends and allies.”
As U.S. assets prepare to mobilize from British installations, the international community remains on high alert, watching for Tehran’s response to this significant shift in regional military cooperation.