What is likely to happen now that the US has been given permission to use British bases for a ‘specific and limited defensive purpose’
US-Israel war on Iran – live updates
What we know so far on day three of the Iran war
Britain has rapidly been dragged into the war in the Middle East, with Keir Starmer concluding that involvement was inevitable because of Iranian retaliation, regional alliances – and a repeated US request for help. In doing so, the prime minister has changed his mind and concluded that what was once an illegal war has become in some respects, legal.
Over the past six weeks, the UK had been building up some military assets in the Middle East, to protect its existing base at Akrotiri in Cyprus and to help key allies in the Gulf. A joint UK-Qatari squadron relocated from Lincolnshire to Qatar in January, ready to act in self-defence if the Gulf country and others in the region were attacked.
