The UK will now let the US use British bases to strike Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s blockade of the waterway.
Downing Street said RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia will now be used for US ‘defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships’ following the oil crisis that has hit the world after the route was blocked off.
Up until this point, the government has allowed the US to use British bases only to hit missile sites targeting British interests in the region.
But now they’ve allowed it to go further as gas and oil bills for Brits have spiralled, while other nations are being urged to limit their supply.
Leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, described it as the ‘mother of all u-turns’ in a post on X.
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Ministers met to discuss the latest developments on Friday afternoon where they reached the agreement, Downing Street said.
The move will likely anger Tehran, which has already claimed the UK providing its military bases to the US to use is ‘participation in aggression’.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘Ministers condemned Iran’s expansion of its 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.
‘They 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.
‘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.
‘Ministers underlined the need for urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war.’
Earlier today, US President Donald Trump piled pressure on Nato allies, calling them ‘cowards’ for refusing to offer warships to reopen the Strait.
Mr Trump, who has has repeatedly berated countries including the UK for failing to respond to his request for support, claimed reopening the key oil and gas shipping route would be a ‘simple’ military task with ‘little risk’.
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