According to reports from the World Wide Web citing the British Broadcasting Corporation and other media, on March 1, local time, British Prime Minister Starmer said that the United Kingdom has decided to accept the request of the United States and allow the United States to use relevant British military bases to carry out strikes against Iranian missile facilities.
Starmer shared a video of his speech on Iran-related issues on social platforms on March 1, local time. Starmer mentioned Iran's attacks on facilities in relevant countries in the Middle East, and said that "British troops stationed in the region are at risk due to Iran's actions."
Starmer also said that the United States has requested permission to use relevant British bases to conduct operations for "specific and limited defense" purposes, and "we have decided to accept this request." "We are not joining these strikes but will continue to take defensive actions in the area," he added.
On February 28, the U.S. military and Israel launched a large-scale air strike against Iran, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran subsequently launched counterattacks against U.S. military bases in the Gulf and Israel.
According to Xinhua News Agency, U.S. President Trump said that he was "very disappointed" that Starmer had prevented the United States from using military bases on the Chagos Islands to attack Iran.
Britain had previously refused to allow the United States to use the base to attack Iran on the grounds of international law. Trump said in the interview that Starmer's change of attitude "took too long" and had "never happened" between the two countries, and that Starmer should have allowed the United States to use the base in the first place.
The Chagos Islands are located in the southwest waters of the Indian Ocean about 750 kilometers northeast of Mauritius. They were ceded to the British colonial authorities in 1965. The following year, the United Kingdom leased Diego Garcia, the main island of the archipelago, to the United States to build an air force base.
On May 22, 2025, the United Kingdom and Mauritius signed an agreement, and the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands was officially transferred to Mauritius. Under the agreement, the Diego Garcia military base will be leased by Mauritius to the United Kingdom and the United States. Trump has repeatedly opposed Britain's transfer of sovereignty over the islands.
