BREAKING [UPDATED WITH NEW INFO FROM FRANCE]: UK Grants US Use of British Bases for Defensive Strikes Against Iranian Missile Sites; Critical Implications for Cyprus
PM Starmer announces collective self-defence measures as Iran launches ‘scorched-earth’ attacks across the Gulf – Cyprus on heightened alert due to geographic proximity
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on Sunday that the United Kingdom has authorized the United States to use British military bases for “specific and limited defensive” operations aimed at destroying Iranian missile launchers and storage depots. The decision, communicated via a televised statement posted on the social media platform X, marks a significant escalation of British involvement in the rapidly deteriorating security situation across the Middle East and the Gulf region – with direct consequences for Cyprus, located barely 960 kilometres from Iran’s western frontier.
Starmer: ‘Iran Is Pursuing a Scorched-Earth Strategy’
In his statement, Starmer stressed that the UK was not involved in the initial strikes against Iran and would not join offensive operations. However, he said that over the past two days, Iran had launched “sustained attacks across the region at countries who did not attack them,” striking airports, hotels, and even a military base in Bahrain where British personnel were narrowly missed.
The Prime Minister noted that the death of the Iranian Supreme Leader has not halted Tehran’s military operations. On the contrary, he described Iran’s approach as “even more reckless and more dangerous to civilians.” With at least 200,000 British citizens residing in, transiting through, or holidaying across the region, Starmer urged all UK nationals to register their presence with the Foreign Office and follow official travel guidance.
Source: X
The UK has already deployed jets as part of coordinated defensive operations, Starmer said, which have “successfully intercepted Iranian strikes.” But he argued that the only way to eliminate the threat was to “destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots, or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles.”
The basis for the decision, Starmer stated, rests on collective self-defence under international law. He confirmed that a summary of the government’s legal advice would be published. In a notable reference to past military interventions, the Prime Minister declared: “We all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons.”
In addition, Starmer announced that the UK would bring together experts from Ukraine and British specialists to assist Gulf partners in shooting down Iranian drones – a move that draws on the extensive experience gained during the Russo-Ukrainian war.
What This Means for Cyprus
Starmer’s announcement carries special significance for Cyprus, the European Union’s easternmost member state and a country whose geography places it at the crossroads of any major conflict in the Middle East.
British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs): The UK retains two Sovereign Base Areas on the island – Akrotiri and Dhekelia – which serve as key staging and logistics hubs for British and allied military operations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Akrotiri, in particular, functions as a critical Royal Air Force base. Any authorisation for the US to use “British bases” for strikes on Iranian targets raises the question of whether facilities on Cypriot soil could be part of such operations. While Starmer’s statement referred to bases “across the region,” the SBAs in Cyprus have historically served as launch platforms for RAF operations in Syria, Iraq, and Libya.
Geographic proximity to Iran: Cyprus lies approximately 960 km from Iran’s western border – well within the range of Tehran’s ballistic and cruise missile arsenal. Iran’s Shahab-3 and Sejjil missiles, as well as newer Kheibar Shekan and Fattah-series systems, have an operational range exceeding 2,000 km, meaning Cyprus falls squarely within their reach. The island’s proximity makes it both a potential asset for Western force projection and a potential target in any wider Iranian retaliatory campaign.
Risk of escalation: Iran’s decision to strike countries “that did not attack them” – as Starmer put it – sets a dangerous precedent. Should Iran perceive the Sovereign Base Areas as contributing to operations against it, Cyprus could find itself drawn into a conflict not of its own making. This is a matter of acute concern for the Republic of Cyprus, which has maintained a careful policy of neutrality on military operations in the region while cooperating with Western partners on humanitarian and security matters.
Impact on civilian aviation and tourism: With Iranian strikes already hitting airports and hotels across the Gulf, the safety of civilian air corridors in the Eastern Mediterranean is a growing concern. Cyprus’s Larnaca and Paphos international airports serve as regional transit hubs. Any widening of hostilities could disrupt air traffic, affect tourism – a vital pillar of the Cypriot economy – and trigger the activation of emergency evacuation plans for citizens of EU and allied countries from the region.
Evacuation hub role: Cyprus has repeatedly served as a key evacuation hub during regional crises, including the 2006 Lebanon war and the 2024 Sudan conflict. Should the current crisis worsen, Cyprus is expected to once again play a central role in the evacuation of European and Western nationals from the Middle East, placing additional pressure on the island’s infrastructure and emergency response capabilities.
EU and diplomatic dimensions: As an EU member state with UK military installations on its territory operating under a unique treaty arrangement dating to 1960, Cyprus occupies a complex diplomatic position. The Cypriot government will be closely watching whether the UK’s decision triggers a broader EU discussion on collective defense, sanctions policy toward Iran, and the future of the EU’s strategic engagement with the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Broader Picture
Starmer’s announcement comes amid reports of sustained Iranian missile and drone barrages against Gulf states, following what appears to have been an initial round of strikes against Iran in which the UK says it played no part. The death of Iran’s Supreme Leader – a development alluded to by Starmer – has evidently not led to a de-escalation, but rather to what the British PM described as a “scorched-earth strategy.”
The UK continues to advocate for a negotiated settlement in which Iran agrees to abandon any nuclear weapons aspirations. However, with British jets already in the air intercepting Iranian missiles and Gulf allies requesting greater support, the line between defensive and offensive operations is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.
For Cyprus, the message is clear: the island’s geographic position at the hinge of Europe and the Middle East means that any major regional conflagration will have immediate and tangible implications – security, diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian – for the Republic and its people.
Starmer's Whole Statement
"Yesterday I spoke to you about the situation in the Gulf and explained that the United Kingdom was not involved in the strikes on Iran.
That remains the case.
Over the last two days, Iran has launched sustained attacks across the region at countries who did not attack them.
They've hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying.
This is clearly a dangerous situation.
We have at least 200,000 British citizens in the region: residents, families on holiday, and those in transit.
I ask all our people in the region to please register your presence and follow Foreign Office travel advice.
I know this is a deeply worrying time and we will continue to do all we can to support you.
Our Armed Forces, who are located across the region, are also being put at risk by Iran's actions.
Yesterday Iran hit a military base in Bahrain, narrowly missing British personnel.
The death of the Supreme Leader will not stop Iran from launching these strikes.
Their approach is becoming even more reckless and more dangerous to civilians.
Our decision that the UK would not be involved with the strikes on Iran was deliberate, not least because we believe that the best way forward for the region and for the world is a negotiated settlement.
One in which Iran agrees to give up any aspirations to develop a nuclear weapon.
But Iran is striking British interests nonetheless and putting British people at huge risk, along with our allies across the region.
That is the situation we face today.
Our partners in the Gulf have asked us to do more to defend them, and it is my duty to protect British lives.
We have British jets in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations, which have already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes.
But the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots, or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles.
The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose.
We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.
The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of long-standing friends and allies and protecting British lives.
That is in accordance with international law, and we are publishing a summary of our legal advice.
We are not joining these strikes, but we will continue with our defensive actions in the region.
And we will also bring experts from Ukraine together with our own experts to help Gulf partners shoot down Iranian drones attacking them.
I want to be very clear: we all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons.
We were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran, and we will not join offensive action now.
But Iran is pursuing a scorched-earth strategy, so we are supporting the collective self-defence of our allies and our people in the region.
Because that is our duty to the British people. It is the best way to eliminate the urgent threat and prevent the situation spiralling further.
This is the British government protecting British interests and British lives."
Newer Update: France Deploys Charles de Gaulle to Eastern Mediterranean Amid Escalating Iran Crisis
In a another significant move signaling deep concern over regional instability, France has urgently redirected its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle from the Baltic Sea to the Eastern Mediterranean. The deployment, ordered on March 1, follows an emergency session of France’s National Defense and Security Council convened by President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
The strategic redeployment was triggered by Iran’s large-scale retaliatory attacks across the Middle East, launched in response to a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top leaders on February 28. Iran’s retaliation involved missile and drone strikes targeting Israel, U.S. military assets, and several Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A critical factor in France’s decision was a drone strike on a French military base in Abu Dhabi. President Macron confirmed the attack, stating a hangar at the base adjacent to the Emirati Al-Salam Naval Base was hit. While he emphasized that "the damage is limited and purely material" with no injuries, the incident marked a direct assault on French forces.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry reported that two Iranian drones targeted a warehouse, causing a fire in containers storing general materials. France’s Defense Minister, Catherine Vautrin, echoed the alert, stating on social media: "Our forces are maintaining maximum vigilance in the face of a situation that is evolving rapidly."
Strategic Objectives of the Carrier Strike Group
The Charles de Gaulle and its carrier strike group (CSG) have been pulled from their "Mission Lafayette 26," which included a historic port call in Malmö, Sweden, and participation in NATO exercises in the Baltic and North Atlantic. The abrupt change in mission highlights the severity of the crisis.
The carrier’s presence in the Eastern Mediterranean serves three primary purposes:
1. Deterrence: To signal to Iran and its allies, including Hezbollah, that further attacks on European or allied assets will be met with overwhelming force.
2. Evacuation Preparedness: To position naval assets for potential Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) to extract French and EU citizens from high-risk areas like Lebanon and the Gulf.
3. Defense Integration: To bolster NATO’s southern flank with advanced radar coverage and air defense capabilities, particularly against ballistic missile threats.
The Charles de Gaulle is Europe’s only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and a cornerstone of France’s autonomous military power. It carries a full complement of up to 40 aircraft, including 30 Rafale M fighter jets. These advanced multirole fighters are capable of delivering the ASMP-A nuclear-tipped cruise missile, giving the carrier a strategic deterrence role.
The carrier strike group is believed to include the air defense frigate FS Alsace (D652), the Horizon-class destroyer FS Chevalier Paul (D621), a nuclear-powered attack submarine, and the replenishment vessel FS Jacques Chevallier (A725), ensuring logistical sustainment.