The UK has agreed to a US request to use British military bases for ‘defensive’ strikes on Iran’s missile strikes, bringing the country closer to the conflict which escalated rapidly over the weekend.
Airstrikes have spread across the Middle East after the US and Israel carried out attacks on Iran on Saturday, which were followed by retaliatory Iranian strikes on targets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq.
Blasts continue to be reported across the region, as America and Israel maintain airstrikes on Iranian targets. The country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed in a targeted attack on Saturday, and top officials have vowed not to negotiate with the United States.
Britain did not join the US in joint airstrikes over the weekend, a decision which US president Donald Trump said he was “very disappointed” with.
In a Commons statement Sir Keir said: “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest.”
In a statement to MPs, the prime minister said “that decision was deliberate” and “I stand by it”.
He added that “we all remember the mistakes of Iraq” adding “any UK actions must always have a lawful basis and a viable thought-through plan”.
Around 300,000 Britons are understood to be in countries targeted by Iran, with with 102,000 registered with the Foreign Office for updates. Officials are reportedly examining all options, including a potential mass evacuation.
Could an Iranian strike hit the UK?
As the UK is drawn further into the conflict, some in Britain are naturally concerned about the potential for the fallout to reach the mainland.
This is very unlikely, experts say, as Iran’s offensive capabilities are not assessed as long-reaching enough to hit Britain.
Vuk Vuksanović, associate at foreign policy think tank LSE IDEAS, said: “There is no evidence that Iran has the capacity to attack the US or UK mainland. Iran, with its missile and drone capability, does have the capacity to strike US and UK military outposts in the wider Middle East, including the Gulf and the Levant.”
Intelligence from the US-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies indicates that Iran’s furthest-reaching warhead is the Khorramshahr 4 missile. The missile can potentially hit targets from 2,000km to 3,000km away.
This is a long range, spanning several countries, but not enough to bridge the 5,000km distance to the UK.
Dr Marion Messmer, director, International Security, Chatham House, said: “From what we know about Iran’s missile capabilities, [an attack on the UK is] not possible. Other parts of Europe could be at risk, but the UK is out of range.”
As for UK citizens in areas closer to the conflict, Iran is understood to have sent two drones to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Monday, which were intercepted.
Another drone hit the UK base overnight with no casualties and limited damage, according to Cypriot authorities.
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