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Britain does not allow the US to use its military bases for attacks on Iran

2026-02-19 19:13:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The British government has not given permission for the US to use UK military bases to support potential US strikes on Iran, according to the BBC. The US has in the past used RAF Fairford, in Gloucestershire, and the British overseas territory of Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, to carry out attacks in the Middle East region.

The Times newspaper reports that US President Donald Trump's recent criticism of Sir Keir Starmer's deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease a joint UK-US military base was prompted by the UK's refusal to grant permission to use the bases. A UK government spokesman said: "As we regularly do, we do not comment on operational matters."

The US has been pressuring Iran to agree to curb its nuclear program. It has threatened possible strikes if it does not and has moved warships, aircraft and other military assets to the region in preparation for a possible attack. At the same time, some progress has been reported in talks between US and Iranian negotiators in Switzerland. On Thursday, Trump said the world will find out in the next 10 days, perhaps, whether the US will reach a deal with Iran or take military action.

A UK government spokesman said: "There is a political process underway between the US and Iran, which the UK supports. Iran must never be able to develop a nuclear weapon and our priority is security in the region."

Sir Keir spoke to Trump by phone on Tuesday, after the US government gave its official backing for the Chagos deal. The Times reports that the pair discussed Trump's ultimatum to Iran over its nuclear programme, and Trump made his statement attacking the Chagos deal the following day.

Inside sources believe that the Pentagon's preparations for possible attacks on Iran, which could potentially be launched from Diego Garcia, may have changed the president's understanding of the importance of the island, the largest in the Chagos archipelago.

Trump mentioned this in his post on Truth Social, saying: "If Iran decides not to make a deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia and the location of RAF Fairford Airport in Gloucestershire, in order to deter a potential attack by a very unstable and dangerous regime."

Neither RAF Fairford nor Diego Garcia were used in the US strikes carried out last year on Iran's nuclear facilities./ CNA, translated by BBC