THE UK military bases being used by US forces are now a "legitimate target" for Iranian strikes, the country's Revolutionary Guard has said.
Iran warned on Thursday that RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, which the US is using alongside Chagos Island-based Diego Garcia to launch strikes on the country, could be targeted.
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has continued the Starmer-era policy of permitting the US to use the bases for "defensive" attacks despite pushback from human rights groups.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also blamed the British monarchy as the "main cause of the misfortunes of the people of our region".
It is understood that any potential Iranian attack that came through long-range missiles would likely be intercepted, but bases remain vulnerable to sabotage or swarms of unmanned drones.
In March, two ballistic missiles were fired towards the Diego Garcia military base, around 2360 miles (3800km) from Iran. The first projectile was intercepted by a missile fired from a US warship, while the second fell after travelling 1990 miles, around 400 miles from the base.
RAF Fairford, in contrast, is located around 2700 miles from Tehran.
Despite the limited danger from air attacks, the UK Government is set to prepare increased protections.
The Ministry of Defence is planning to create a "layered approach to air and missile defence, provided by Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force assets equipped with a range of advanced capabilities, working closely with our Nato allies".
Westminster said in a statement: “The UK’s approach to the conflict [between the US and Israel and Iran] remains the same.
"We are committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict.”
Military sources have told The Times that Iran does possess missiles that are hypothetically both large enough to destroy a building while also being able to reach Britain.
Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told the paper that the most likely missile used would be the Khorramshahr-4s, which were the same warheads used to target Diego Garcia.
However, their payload would have to be dramatically reduced to extend its range. Despite this, it has been warned that this would still be enough to cause major infrastructure damage.
At the end of Keir Starmer's premiership, defence secretary John Healey and armed forces minister Al Carns resigned in protest over what they described as a failure to spend enough money on equipping the military for the future.
While Carns has refused to re-join Burnham's government, Healey has now been appointed as Chancellor, with reports suggesting he may look to increase funding for defence by cutting costs elsewhere.
Welfare spending and environmental subsidies have previously been reported as the most likely places where these savings could be made.
