"We all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons. Any UK actions must always have a lawful basis, and a viable thought-through plan. That is the principle that I applied to the decisions that I made over the weekend."
"The UK was deploying planes and allowing the use of bases for defensive purposes because of Iran launching strikes on the UK's allies in the region in its retaliation. The RAF had intercepted an Iranian drone strike heading for a coalition base in Iraq where UK forces were stationed."
"It's a different world, actually. It's just a much different kind of relationship that we've had with your country before. It's very sad to see that the UK-US relationship is not what it was after criticising Keir Starmer for taking far too long to allow US forces to use its airbases."
Keir Starmer defended the UK's decision not to participate directly in US strikes on Iran, emphasizing that any military action must have a lawful basis and viable plan, referencing lessons learned from Iraq. The UK deployed planes and permitted US use of RAF bases for defensive purposes following Iranian drone strikes on coalition forces and British bases. The RAF intercepted Iranian drones targeting a coalition base in Iraq and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. While the UK allows the US to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for operations against Iranian missile sites, Starmer maintained this defensive posture differs from offensive strikes. Donald Trump criticized Starmer's approach, expressing disappointment with the UK-US relationship and suggesting the prime minister took too long to authorize base usage.
#uk-us-relations #iran-military-response #defense-policy #political-controversy #international-diplomacy
Read at www.theguardian.com
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