Senior military figures last night urged Sir Keir Starmer to put national security first and let Donald Trump use British bases for an attack on Iran.
Downing Street has refused the US permission to launch air strikes from bases in the UK and overseas.
That message was reiterated by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper last night when she met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington D.C. She told her counterpart that Britain favoured ‘diplomatic and economic pressure’ on Iran.
With Tehran saying it will have a nuclear deal draft ready in a few days, former top brass last night joined the Conservative Party in criticising the Government’s view after Tory defence spokesman James Cartlidge said Iran’s nuclear programme ‘poses a grave threat to Britain and our allies’.
Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a retired Royal Navy officer, said: ‘At a time when our US ally needs to be reassured of Britain’s staunch opposition to brutal regimes and about its access to the Chagos Islands and [UK-US military base] Diego Garcia, our Government is proving unreliable and weak.’
Former Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe said: ‘We absolutely should let the US use UK bases in launching targeted strikes against Iran. It would be madness not to. The Americans can use Diego Garcia anyway, as it is a joint base, but we should be actively supporting.’
President Trump was particularly keen to use RAF Fairford in Suffolk and Diego Garcia, the British overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, to ‘eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime’ in Tehran.
But following a diplomatic tit-for-tat over the future of the Chagos Islands, which includes Diego Garcia, the Prime Minister has blocked US plans. The row follows UK concerns over the legality of the air strikes the US is minded to launch. Were these to be illegal under international law, the UK could be accused of facilitating an illegal act.
Keir Starmer, pictured here at a Q&A in Wales this week, has refused to let America use British military bases for an attack on Iran
US President Donald Trump is keen to use Britain's military based in Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford in Suffolk to stage an attack
Diego Garcia, pictured here, is part of the Chagos Islands, which have been at the centre of a diplomatic tit-for-tat between the UK and US
The Ministry of Defence has declined to comment on what it describes as ongoing operational matters. Asked yesterday whether he was considering strikes on Iran, President Trump said: ‘I guess I can say I am considering that.’
He has ordered one of the largest US military build-ups in the Middle East for decades, including two aircraft carriers. But UK forces are not expected to be involved.
While former Army intelligence officer Phil Ingram suggested the PM was influenced by human rights lawyers, such as Attorney General Richard Hermer, who ‘prefer to say no rather than finding a justification to say yes’.
In recent days six US intelligence-gathering aircraft have flown to Saudi Arabia from bases in Europe, including RAF Mildenhall, while F-22 Raptor stealth jets have left Virginia in the US.
In a bid to prevent being attacked, Iran has reached out to its ally Russia and pledged to pursue further negotiations with the US over the dismantling of its nuclear enrichment programme.
On Thursday, President Trump has said Iran has ‘ten, 15 days, pretty much maximum’ to reach a deal, or face ‘really bad things’.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday: ‘The next step for me is to present a draft of a possible deal to my counterparts in the US. I believe in the next two, three days, that would be ready.’
Ms Cooper’s US talks with Mr Rubio also touched on the UK’s agreement to hand sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory, home to the Diego Garcia base, to Mauritius. President Trump publicly criticised the deal earlier this week.
