Burnham approves US use of UK bases for some strikes on Iran, Bloomberg reports

Burnham approves US use of UK bases for some strikes on Iran, Bloomberg reports

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MEE staff
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Wed, 07/22/2026 - 10:05

The move marks a continuation of predecessor Keir Starmer's policy, which rights groups warned could violate international law

US forces launch strikes on Iran for the 11th consecutive night, a screengrab made available on 22 July 2026 from handout footage released by the US Central Command shows (AFP)

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British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has approved the US use of some UK bases for "defensive" air strikes on Iran, in a continuation of a policy introduced by his predecessor Keir Starmer, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday.

According to sources who spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, Starmer held a meeting of senior ministers and officials on Friday, in which it was decided that US planes could continue to use bases at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The sources said that Burnham was briefed on the discussion and agreed with the decision, confirming that he would likely continue Starmer’s policy throughout the renewed US operations.

The decision comes as US bombardment targeted cities across Iran for the 11th consecutive night, with Iranian media reporting explosions in cities including Bushehr, Tabriz and Chabahar and in the provinces of Kurdistan and Ilam.

US Central Command (Centcom) has claimed attacks on operations centres and logistics infrastructure, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars and drone storage facilities.

In response, Tehran has launched retaliatory strikes on its US-allied neighbours, including Jordan, Bahrain, Syria and Kuwait. 

But Burnham's continuation of Starmer's policy of allowing American use of British airbases is likely to face backlash, as UK rights groups previously warned that the move could violate international law.

Starmer announced his policy in early March, arguing that the bases were to be used for defensive purposes.

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He later confirmed that the agreement would be expanded to allow for the US to launch strikes from UK bases on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz - also invoking "collective self-defence" of Gulf state allies as a legal basis for the decision.

Human Rights Watch's UK director, Yasmine Ahmed, wrote to the prime minister, highlighting that the government’s legal justification for the move failed to mention issues related to international humanitarian law (IHL). 

She cited a number of instances which have raised questions around US compliance with IHL, including an air strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab, at the start of the US-Israeli assault on 28 February. Over 150 people were killed in the attack, most of them children.

A preliminary investigation into the strike by the Pentagon found that the US military was responsible for the attack.

Burnham's decision comes shortly after a phone call with Trump in which he "outlined the UK’s commitment to securing the movement of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz", according to a readout from his office.

In a subsequent post on his Truth Social account, Trump reported that the call covered "North Sea Oil, Trade, the Military Alliance, Demining of the Hormuz Strait", saying that the discussion "went very well".

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