Four US B-1 Lancer bombers have arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to carry out "specific defensive operations" aimed at preventing Iran from firing missiles into the Middle East, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The bombers, each capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles, landed on Friday evening and Saturday morning after Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted permission for the US to use UK bases for defensive action against Iranian missile sites.
The deployment follows a warning from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that strikes on Iran would "surge dramatically", with more fighter squadrons and bomber pulses expected. The UK's armed forces chief, Richard Knighton, said he anticipated US missions launching from Fairford "within the next few days". Starmer also agreed to allow the US to operate from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
The MoD stated that the US had "started using British bases for specific defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region". A Merlin helicopter, described as a "submarine hunter", is also being sent to the Middle East for additional airborne surveillance. The moves come after Donald Trump demanded Iran's unconditional surrender and Israeli warplanes bombed Tehran and Beirut, with Iran launching retaliatory strikes.
Starmer defended his decision to block initial offensive strikes by the US and Israel, denying it had damaged the special relationship. However, Trump criticised the prime minister, saying he was "not Winston Churchill". Reports of cabinet opposition at a National Security Council meeting were rejected by Starmer, who insisted all ministers supported the UK position.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised Starmer for resisting US pressure to join strikes, calling the conflict a "war of choice" without international consensus or UN approval. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of being "too scared to make foreign interventions" and claimed the UK was "in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not".
