'UK planes are in the sky': Starmer announces defensive ops, allows US use of UK military bases

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday (March 1) that his country has accepted a U.S. request to use British bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers. "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," he said in a video message on X. Starmer reiterated that Britain was not involved in the joint U.S.-Israel air strikes on Iran that killed the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday (February 28), adding that Britain would not join further waves of strikes.