UK ‘ready to defend itself’ after Iranian threat over US bases
IRGC claims base in south-west England was used by US to launch bombing missions, making it ‘legitimate target’
Hayden Vernon
Thu 23 Jul 2026 18.41 EDT
The government has said the UK is “ready to defend itself” after Iran’s military warned that any bases being used by the US were “legitimate targets”.
The UK has allowed the US to launch “defensive” operations from British bases hosting American planes since the start of its war on Iran but has refused to help in offensive operations.
That policy has not been altered by the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, who was notified last week that a decision had been made to extend the agreement with the US.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Thursday that “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces”.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/23/uk-ready-to-defend-itself-iran-threat-us-bases
