Iran22 July, 20262 min read
Andy Burnham Approves U.S. Use of Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford for Strikes on Iran
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Burnham approves US use of UK bases, Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, for Iran strikes. Framed as defensive by Bloomberg and MEI reports.
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Burnham backs US strikes
Britain’s newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham approved the continued use of British military bases by the United States for certain “defensive” strikes on Iran, maintaining a policy established under his predecessor Keir Starmer. The decision, described by the UK as defensive, would allow U.S. forces to use the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in England for operations aimed at countering Iranian missile threats and protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
i24NEWS said Burnham endorsed the policy after a meeting of senior ministers and security officials held before he took office, and it said he discussed the situation with President Trump in a phone call after taking office. In that same i24NEWS account, Trump later described the conversation as positive, saying the leaders discussed trade, defense cooperation, and regional security.
Escalation and legal backlash
Bloomberg, as cited by Jordan News, reported that Burnham agreed with Starmer’s decision to allow U.S. forces to use British facilities for “defensive strikes” against Iran, while U.S. officials said President Donald Trump was expected to decide in the coming days whether to expand military operations and resume large-scale combat. Jordan News said the U.S. airstrikes over the past 10 consecutive nights began on July 7 and targeted Iranian military sites linked to operations around the Strait of Hormuz, and it said one official added that U.S. forces had largely avoided striking areas near Tehran or targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Middle East Eye reported that Burnham’s continuation of Starmer’s policy would face backlash from UK rights groups that previously warned it could violate international law, and it said Human Rights Watch’s UK director Yasmine Ahmed wrote to the prime minister about legal justification that failed to mention issues related to international humanitarian law. In Middle East Eye’s account, Ahmed cited an air strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab at the start of the U.S.-Israeli assault on 28 February, and it said a preliminary investigation by the Pentagon found the U.S. military was responsible for the attack.
Russia reacts, wider stakes
تحلیل بازار reported that Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s representative to international organizations based in Vienna, wrote on X “Poor Britain!” after Burnham confirmed the United States’ use of Britain’s military bases for military action against Iran. The same source said the move kept Keir Starmer’s policy in place even as Donald Trump escalates the war, and it described the Diego Garcia base as built in 1971 and as a vital landing site for bombers carrying out missions across Asia.
“Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's representative to international organizations based in Vienna, wrote on the social network X about this decision on Wednesday evening: 'Poor Britain!'”
In i24NEWS’s account, Burnham’s decision was framed as politically sensitive, with critics including opposition parties on the left arguing that allowing U.S. use of UK bases risks making Britain complicit in the conflict. i24NEWS also said Burnham reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to protecting maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz in his phone call with Trump after taking office.