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The UK will not permit the US to use British air bases to conduct attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran, Downing Street has signalled.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said on Tuesday that Britain’s position on approving American military strikes from UK sites within only limited parameters “hasn’t changed”, following US President Donald Trump’s threat to obliterate Iran’s bridges and power plants if the Tehran regime does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm Eastern time.
“The agreement in place is for the US to use UK bases for the collective self-defence of the region, including US defensive operations to degrade missile sites and capabilities used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” the No 10 spokesperson reiterated to reporters in Westminster.
The official added that Britain was “committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict”. His intervention came after the i newspaper first reported that the UK would not allow Washington to launch strikes on Iranian bridges and power plants from British bases.
Britain has called Russia’s extensive attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure “morally indefensible” and last year cited a UN assessment that these strikes may amount to war crimes.
It came as Italy’s defence minister Guido Crosetto indicated that Rome would not allow the US to use bases in the country for its ongoing offensive in Iran.
Italy denied permission for US warplanes bound for the conflict to refuel at the Sigonella naval air base in Sicily last month. Crosetto told lawmakers on Tuesday that Rome would scrupulously adhere to its treaty commitments, which allow the US to use its bases in Italy for routine logistical operations and training but require explicit authorisation for any other uses.
The US has numerous military bases in Italy, the uses of which are governed by a series of treaties first agreed in the 1950s and subsequently updated.
“You don’t have to be brave to say no to the United States, if they make a request that we can’t accept,” he told Italy’s parliament, even as he reiterated the country’s commitment to its alliance with the US.
“We are allied with the United States, bound by an almost century-long friendship. But we know how to enforce our laws and the treaties that bind us,” he said.
Crosetto added: “We are not at war with Iran. We have distanced ourselves, and will continue to distance ourselves from what we don’t agree with.”
The UK Ministry of Defence hosted a virtual conference on Tuesday of military planners from more than 40 nations to discuss practical solutions to restore shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz once the conflict has ended.
Downing Street said the objective of the meeting, helmed by the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood in north-west London, was to “turn diplomatic consensus into practical planning” and “assess how to make the Strait of Hormuz accessible and safe once hostilities have ceased”.
The guest list was expected to mirror a diplomatic meeting hosted by UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper last week, which included France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. The US is not taking part in the discussions.
Trump has increased pressure on other western nations to participate in efforts to re-establish shipping routes through the Strait.
Last month almost 40 countries signed a statement confirming their willingness to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” through the vital waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.
Trump’s rhetoric escalated ahead of his self-imposed deadline for Tehran to reopen the strait — including the warning that “a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran did not comply.
Asked whether Trump’s remarks were helpful or a hindrance, Downing Street said on Tuesday that the UK believed “the best path for the region is a negotiated settlement, and that continues”.
Starmer’s spokesperson added that “the prime minister has been very clear that this isn’t our war. We’re not being dragged into it, but our position is very much focused on de-escalation”.
While the UK was seeking to project its leadership role on the international stage, the Royal Navy’s only major warship in the eastern Mediterranean was forced to dock after suffering technical issues.
The UK insisted that HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer deployed to protect UK air bases in Cyprus from aerial attack in the Iran war, would be able to sail at short notice if required.
However, the MoD confirmed that the vessel had been forced to undertake “a short maintenance period in the eastern Mediterranean”.
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