Four US B-1 Lancer bombers have arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to conduct what the Ministry of Defence described as “specific defensive operations” aimed at preventing Iran from firing missiles into the Middle East. The aircraft, 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 British bases for defensive strikes 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, defensive capabilities, and bomber pulses expected. The UK’s armed forces chief, Richard Knighton, said missions from RAF Fairford could begin within days. The US has also been authorised to use Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, for similar operations.
On Saturday, the MoD confirmed that a Merlin helicopter, described as a “submarine hunter”, was being sent to the Middle East to provide additional airborne surveillance. The developments come amid escalating tensions, with Donald Trump demanding Iran’s unconditional surrender and Israeli warplanes bombing Tehran and Beirut, while Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries.
Starmer defended his decision to block initial offensive strikes by the US and Israel at the weekend, insisting it had not damaged the special relationship. However, Trump criticised the prime minister, saying he was “not Winston Churchill”. Reports suggested that at a National Security Council meeting last Friday, some cabinet ministers, including Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood, Ed Miliband, and Rachel Reeves, opposed allowing US defensive strikes from UK bases, though Starmer said all ministers supported the final position.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan backed Starmer’s resistance to US pressure, condemning the “war of choice” being waged without international consensus or UN approval. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the prime minister of being “too scared to make foreign interventions” and claimed the UK was “in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not”.
