UK approves US use of British bases to strike Iran missile sites targeting ships

The British government gave authorisation ​on Friday (March 20, 2026) for the United States to use ‌military bases in Britain to carry out strikes ​on Iranian missile sites that are attacking ⁠ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

British Ministers met on Friday (March 20, 2026) to discuss the war with Iran and Iran’s ‌blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Downing Street statement.

Iran-Israel war updates on March 20, 2026

“They confirmed ‌that the agreement for the U.S. to ‌use ⁠U.K. bases in the collective self-defence of ⁠the region includes U.S. defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the ​Strait of Hormuz,” the ‌statement said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week Britain would not be drawn into a war over Iran. He initially rejected a U.S. request ‌to use British bases for the strikes ​on Iran, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was ⁠legal.

But Mr. Starmer modified his stance after Iran conducted strikes on British allies across the West Asia, ‌saying that the United States could use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. base in the Indian Ocean.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Mr. Starmer since the conflict started, complaining he was not doing enough to help him.

On Monday, ‌Mr. Trump said there were “some countries that greatly disappointed me” before ​he singled out Britain, which he said had once been considered “the Rolls-Royce of allies”.

The ⁠Downing Street statement on Friday (March 20, 2026) called for “urgent de-escalation and ⁠a swift resolution to the war”.

Opinion polls in Britain suggest widespread scepticism about the ‌war, with 59% of those surveyed by YouGov saying that they were opposed to ​the U.S.-Israeli attacks.