British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is blocking President Trump from using British Royal Air Force (RAF) bases to launch an attack on Iran, The Telegraph reported on Thursday.
The report said that the British government has yet to give consent for the US to use bases in the UK for bombing runs against Iran because of concerns that the attack could breach international law, the same conclusion London reached before the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities during the 12-Day War back in June 2025.
The UK’s position is what likely led to President Trump’s post on Truth Social, in which he again flipped on Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal, under which the UK will hand control of the islands, home to the US military base at Diego Garcia, to Mauritius. Under the agreement, the US and UK will lease the base from Mauritius for 99 years.
“I have been telling Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of the United Kingdom, that Leases are no good when it comes to Countries, and that he is making a big mistake by entering a 100 Year Lease with whoever it is that is ‘claiming’ Right, Title, and Interest to Diego Garcia, strategically located in the Indian Ocean,” Trump said.
The US president suggested that Diego Garcia and an RAF airbase in Fairford, England, that houses US Air Force personnel, could potentially be used in a war with Iran.
“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime — An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries,” he added.
The US is required to notify the UK of its operations involving Diego Garcia, but doesn’t need London’s permission to carry them out. The base in Fairford is another story, as the US would need the OK of the British government to launch a long-range bombing attack from the facility.
