Neither the Diego Garcia base (in the Indian Ocean) nor the Fairford base (England), the main forward operating base for US strategic bombers in Europe, were used in the targeted attack with B-2 bombers on Iranian nuclear sites last June. The stealth bombers then made a round trip of about 37 hours from their base in Missouri
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer blocked a request from US President Donald Trump to allow US forces to use air bases in the United Kingdom during any pre-emptive attack on Iran, saying this could violate international law, according to multiple reports in the British press citing government sources.
According to The Times of London, which first reported the disagreement over access to the bases, Starmer refused to use RAF Fairford, in England, and Diego Garcia – a British overseas territory in the Indian Ocean – for any attack on Iran.
The two bases have long served as important US military support points abroad for operations far from its territory, with Diego Garcia being a key airfield for the US heavy bomber fleet.
The Times reports that the UK is concerned that allowing the US to use the bases “would constitute a breach of international law, which makes no distinction between a State carrying out the attack and those supporting it if they have ‘knowledge of the circumstances of the internationally wrongful act’”.
The Times cited British government sources. The BBC, The Guardian and The Telegraph subsequently published their own news about the UK blocking access to bases, also citing sources.
US requests to use British bases for operational purposes have historically been assessed on a case-by-case basis, with specific criteria kept confidential for security reasons under long-standing agreements.
“All decisions about approving the use of military bases in the United Kingdom by foreign nations for operational purposes take into account the legal basis and political justification of any proposed activity,” Veterans Minister Al Carns wrote in response to questions from independent British MP Jeremy Corbyn, according to a January report in the UK Defense Journal.
Starmer and Trump held a telephone conversation on Tuesday night, with the statements indicating they discussed peace in the Middle East and Europe.
The next day, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to withdraw support for a deal that called for the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, the archipelago in the Indian Ocean that is home to the joint US-UK naval support facility on Diego Garcia, to Mauritius, in exchange for a 99-year lease on the military base.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
The United Kingdom separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius before that colony achieved independence, something that has been a source of diplomatic friction and several legal battles with locals who have been expelled. In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the United Kingdom must return the islands “as quickly as possible” so that they can be decolonized.
An agreement for its return has been under review through British government channels since then, with London arguing that a lease compromise would avoid further costly and likely fruitless court battles, while maintaining military access in the Indian Ocean.
After initially opposing the UK-Mauritius deal, Trump said in early February that it was the “best” the country could get under the circumstances.
But as the US has beefed up its forces in the region for a possible attack on Iran, Trump has reversed course, claiming in a post on Truth Social that Starmer is “making a big mistake” by agreeing to the lease deal with Mauritius.
“Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island because of claims by never before known entities. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature,” Trump’s post read.
However, just a day earlier, the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying, in part, that Washington “supports the United Kingdom’s decision to move forward with its agreement with Mauritius.”
Asked about the discrepancy between the publication in Truth Social and the State Department’s statement, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated that the president’s publication should be understood as the “policy” of the Trump administration.
In his post on social media, Trump made direct reference to the two British air bases, cited by the UK press, as important in a possible attack on Iran.
“It may be necessary for the United States to utilize Diego Garcia and the airfield located in Fairford to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime,” Trump wrote.
Neither Diego Garcia nor Fairford, the main forward operating base for U.S. strategic bombers in Europe, were used in the pinpoint B-2 bomber attack on Iranian nuclear sites last June. In this case, the stealth bombers made a round trip of about 37 hours from their base in Missouri.
However, analysts anticipate that any new US attack on Iran could be a much more prolonged campaign, possibly lasting several weeks or more.
In such a campaign, having the B-2s, as well as the B-1 and B-52 bombers, operating from bases located thousands of miles closer to Iran would allow faster rotations for rearming and refueling for further attacks.
Although the US may have access to other bases in countries closer to Iran, using them could put its valuable fleet of heavy bombers within reach of possible retaliatory attacks with Iranian missiles.
