UK Declines to Join US Strikes on Iran, Starmer Criticizes 'Regime Change' Approach
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed the United Kingdom will not participate in US-led military strikes against Iranian targets, declaring that Britain 'does not believe in regime change from the skies.' The statement puts Starmer directly at odds with President Donald Trump's administration, which has launched joint operations with Israel targeting sites across Iran, including the capital Tehran. While the UK has agreed to allow US forces to use British military bases for what Starmer described as 'defensive' strikes on Iranian missile sites, he emphasized that British planes currently in the Middle East are part of a separate defensive operation to protect regional stability. The prime minister's position creates what sources describe as 'delicate terrain' for his leadership both domestically and internationally. Defence Secretary John Healey warned that UK troops and civilians in the region could be put at risk by the escalating conflict, while also noting that 'no-one will mourn' Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the strikes. The situation has strained the UK's 'special relationship' with the US, particularly after Number 10 had previously positioned Starmer as capable of influencing Trump's decisions. Meanwhile, Iran has responded with new threats to Gulf shipping, and US officials warn that the 'hardest hits' on Iran are 'yet to come.' Reports indicate damage to cultural sites including Tehran's historic Golestan Palace, prompting concern from UNESCO about heritage protection. The conflict represents Starmer's first major foreign policy test since becoming prime minister, requiring him to balance international alliances with a distinct British approach to Middle Eastern conflict.
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Sources
The prime minister has spoken to Donald Trump after the US and Israel launched strikes across several Iranian cities, including capital Tehran. Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement earlier that British planes were "in the sky" in the Middle East as part of a defensive operation "to protect ...
Politics latest: Starmer stands by refusal to join Iran strikes after Trump lashes out at UK | The Independent
It’s hard to believe that, little ... ago, Keir Starmer’s leadership was as good as in the ground, turned to dust by the Gorton and Denton by-election in which Labour lost its seventh safest seat to the Green Party. Today, all that is little more than the throwaway “And finally…” bit on the evening news, the world’s eyes being fixed anxiously on Iran...
It was perhaps naive of No 10 ever to position Keir Starmer as a “Donald Trump whisperer” capable of persuading the unpredictable US president to step back from reckless decisions. The “special relationship” has been under severe strain in recent months over the UK’s decision to give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands and the refusal of European countries to back Trump’s play for Greenland. When it came to bombing Iran ...
John Healey told the BBC "no-one will mourn" Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during US and Israeli air strikes on Iran. The UK did not participate in the strikes and the defence secretary said it was for the US to set out the legal basis for its actions.
Tehran makes new threat to Gulf shipping as US says 'hardest hits' on Iran 'yet to come' - BBC News
Tehran’s historic Golestan Palace, ... been damaged following strikes on the capital, according to Iranian state media. UNESCO has expressed concern over the protection of heritage sites, external following reports that the palace was damaged. Local news outlets had reported on ...
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