UK Approves US Use of British Bases for Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites Targeting Ships

Decision follows Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, with ministers citing need to protect trade routes and regional security interests.

U.S. Air Force military personnel work on AGM-158 joint air-to-surface standoff cruise missiles, near a U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer bomber jet on the tarmac after it landed at RAF Fairford in south-west England on March 13, 2026. Fairford is one of two bases, along with the Diego Garcia facility in the Indian Ocean, that the UK has given the US permission to use for "specific defensive operations into Iran" to destroy Iranian missiles at source, the British defence minister said in a statement. Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images

The UK approved on Friday the United States’ use of its military bases to launch strikes on Iranian missile sites that are targeting international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The ministers met on Friday to discuss the Iranian regime’s attacks on unarmed commercial ships and civilian infrastructure and the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The ministers “confirmed that the agreement for the US to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes US defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement read.

“They reaffirmed that the principles behind the UK’s approach to the conflict remain the same: the UK remains committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict,” the statement continued.

The decision comes in the wake of Iranian strikes against unarmed commercial ships, civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities, as well as its actions to close the Strait of Hormuz.

Ministers criticized Iran’s expansion of targets to include international shipping.

“They agreed that Iran’s reckless strikes, including on Red Ensign vessels and those of our close allies and Gulf partners, risked pushing the region further into crisis and worsening the economic impact being felt in the UK and around the world,” the statement said.

The UK said it would continue to coordinate with international partners on plans to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has disrupted since late February.

Ministers called for “urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war,” noting the UK’s desire for diplomatic solutions while supporting defensive measures in the face of threats to global commerce and allies.

In mid-to-late February, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially refused to allow the United States to use the joint UK–U.S. military base on Diego Garcia island to strike Iran. He later changed his mind, saying the security situation had changed as Iranian actions began threatening British personnel and interests in the region.

“We have British jets in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations which have already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes,” Starmer said on March 1. “But the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source – in their storage depots or the launchers which used to fire the missiles.”

Starmer said that he would allow the United States “to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.”