LONDON, Monday, March 2, 2026 (WNP): Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Parliament on Monday that the United Kingdom would not join US offensive strikes against Iran but would permit the limited use of British bases for defensive purposes, citing the need to protect British nationals and support allies under attack.

Delivering an oral statement to the House of Commons, Starmer said Britain had deliberately stayed out of the initial US and Israeli military action against Iran, maintaining that a negotiated settlement remained the preferred path to address Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and regional activities.

“The United Kingdom was not involved in the initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran. That decision was deliberate,” Starmer said, adding that successive British governments had supported diplomacy aimed at ensuring Iran abandons any aspiration to develop nuclear weapons.

However, the Prime Minister said Iran’s response — including hundreds of missiles and drones launched at countries across the Gulf — had changed the security landscape.

He cited attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and Oman, as well as renewed strikes by Hezbollah against Israel, as evidence of a widening conflict threatening regional stability.

“Our highest duty is to protect British lives,” Starmer said, noting that an estimated 300,000 British citizens are currently in the region, including residents, tourists and families facing travel disruption due to restricted airspace and security risks.

The Prime Minister confirmed that British Typhoon and F-35 jets had been deployed in coalition defensive operations and had intercepted multiple aerial threats, including drones heading toward a coalition base in Iraq housing UK personnel.

He also disclosed that an Iranian drone struck within 800 yards of British personnel at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus overnight, though no casualties were reported.

Starmer emphasised that British bases in Cyprus had not been used by US forces for offensive strikes and that any Iranian targeting of UK facilities was not in response to British action.

The Prime Minister said the United States had requested permission to use British bases for a “specific, limited defensive purpose” — namely, to neutralise missile and drone threats at their source before launch.

“To be clear: the use of British bases is strictly limited to agreed defensive purposes. The UK has not joined US offensive operations,” Starmer told lawmakers.

He added that the government had published a summary of its legal position and would keep the decision under review.

Starmer also confirmed close coordination with European partners, including Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who he said were prepared to support efforts to prevent further Iranian missile and drone attacks.

In his address, Starmer accused the Iranian regime of long-standing destabilising conduct, including alleged sponsorship of armed groups across the Middle East, threats to British shipping in the Red Sea, and support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

He said Iran-backed plots against individuals in the UK had been disrupted over the past year and confirmed that security at sensitive sites, including Muslim and Jewish community locations, had been strengthened.

The government has urged British nationals in the region to register with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and to follow local safety guidance. Rapid-response teams are being deployed, and ministers are in contact with airlines and regional partners to facilitate safe departures where possible.

Describing the situation as “a dangerous moment,” Starmer reiterated that Britain would not join offensive US operations but would act in collective self-defence to protect British citizens and longstanding allies.

“We have learned from the mistakes of the past,” he said. “We were not involved in the initial strikes, and we will not join offensive US strikes. But in the face of Iran’s dangerous escalation, we will defend British nationals and support the collective self-defence of our allies.”

The Prime Minister said he would continue to update Parliament as the situation evolves.