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UK readies defenses
Britain said it “stands ready 24/7 to defend itself” after Iran said UK bases used by the US were considered “legitimate targets,” with the UK allowing the US to launch “defensive” operations from British bases hosting American personnel and aircraft while refusing to cooperate in offensive operations against Iran.
A UK government spokesperson said, “Our Armed Forces are ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it's on our soil or from abroad,” and added that the UK’s approach includes a “layered approach to air and missile defence” using Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force assets working with Nato allies.
The BBC reported the threat followed Iran’s warning to strike a Royal Air Force base used by US forces, and the BBC also noted that in March the UK had given permission for the US to use British bases including RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to target Iranian military infrastructure used to attack Gulf countries and vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The BBC said the policy had not been altered by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was notified last week that a decision had been taken to extend the agreement with the US, and it said the UK Ministry of Defence had not commented on whether RAF Fairford was used by the US for operations against Iran this week.
IRGC threatens Fairford
The Telegraph said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to attack RAF Fairford and made veiled threats against the “British monarchy regime,” and it quoted the IRGC saying “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory is a legitimate target for us”.
The Telegraph also reported that the threat came two days after Andy Burnham agreed to continue Sir Keir Starmer’s policy of allowing Washington to launch strikes on Iran from British bases, and it described flight-tracking websites tracing the journey of a B1 bomber from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire towards Iran.
The BBC said Iran’s foreign ministry called the UK an “accomplice” in the US war, while the IRGC military wing said any country that supports the US militarily “will be responsible for the consequences and repercussions”.
In a statement published on the IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency on 23 July, the BBC reported the group said American bombing missions had been launched from RAF Fairford two days earlier, and it added that the UK Ministry of Defence had not commented on whether the base was used by the US for operations against Iran this week.
What’s at stake next
The BBC said Iran’s comments on 23 July sought to paint the UK as a party to the campaign after the US carried out a 12th consecutive night of strikes against targets in Iran, and it said the UK’s approach to the conflict remains committed to defending its people, its interests and its allies “acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict.”
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The BBC also recalled that on 19 March Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the UK's Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands, with one reportedly failing mid-flight and the other shot down by a US warship, and it said there were doubts then over whether Iran had missiles capable of reaching the archipelago about 2,360 miles (3,600km) from Iran.
The Telegraph said flight-tracking websites traced a B1 bomber from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire towards Iran, and it stated the aircraft can carry two dozen 2,000lb bombs.
The BBC said analysts raised doubts over the reliability and accuracy of Iran’s missile arsenal, which the US says has been severely degraded by its strikes, and it added that attacks against civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz have effectively closed the vital shipping route.
