Britain Won’t Join Offensive Action in Iran, Starmer Tells Parliament
Starmer Says UK’s Decision to Stay Out of US–Israel–Iran Strikes Was “Deliberate”
UK Will Not Join Offensive Strikes
Date: 3rd March 2026
The British PM Keir Starmer told Parliament on Monday, 2nd March 2026, that the United Kingdom’s decision not to join the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran was “deliberate,” stressing that the government believes a negotiated settlement remains the only viable long-term path to preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons and curbing its regional destabilizing activities.
Starmer said the UK had carefully judged its national interest in choosing not to participate in the early strikes carried out by United States and Israel, noting that although former US President Donald Trump disagreed with Britain’s stance, the government stood by its assessment. He warned, however, that Iran’s “outrageous response” had escalated into a direct threat against British citizens, personnel, and allies across the region.
Iran’s attacks, he said, included hundreds of missiles and thousands of drones fired at countries that were not involved in the original strikes, among them United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and Oman. He also condemned fresh attacks on Israel by Hezbollah.
Starmer said an estimated 300,000 British nationals are currently in the region, some of whom were near airports and hotels struck by Iran. He confirmed that UK military personnel were placed at risk, including 300 stationed at a base in Bahrain hit over the weekend, and that a drone struck RAF facilities in Cyprus, though without casualties.
He emphasized that British bases in Cyprus are not being used by US bombers and that the strike there was not prompted by any UK decision, saying intelligence suggested the drone had been launched before Britain announced its latest posture.
The prime minister said Iran’s aggression was longstanding and that the death of its supreme leader had not tempered its actions. He accused the regime of increasingly targeting both military and economic infrastructure with disregard for civilian lives.
Following appeals from Gulf partners “outraged” by the Iranian attacks, Starmer said Britain authorized the US to use UK bases for “specific and limited” defensive operations aimed at destroying missiles at their point of origin. He stressed that the UK is not joining offensive strikes and that the authorization complies with international law.
France and Germany, he noted, are also prepared to enable US defensive action against Iranian launch capabilities. Starmer said he had been in close contact with President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Trump and regional leaders.
He described the Iranian regime as “abhorrent,” citing its repression of its own population, its destabilizing regional activities, its support for Russia in Ukraine, and more than 20 Iran-backed plots on UK soil foiled in the past year. Preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, he said, remains the central objective of the UK and its allies.
Amid rapidly evolving conditions, Starmer urged all British nationals in the region to register with authorities and monitor updated travel advice, noting closed airspace in several countries and ongoing shelter-in-place guidance. Rapid deployment teams are being sent to assist citizens, and the UK is coordinating with the travel industry and regional governments, including officials in the UAE.
Starmer said the government is also reaching out to Muslim and Jewish community organizations across Britain and ensuring appropriate security at sensitive sites. He reiterated that while the UK will not join offensive action, it will continue defensive measures to protect British lives and uphold collective self-defense, arguing that doing so is the best way to reduce immediate danger and help return the region to diplomacy.
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