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.
The deployment follows a warning from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that strikes on Iran would “surge dramatically”. The UK’s armed forces chief, Richard Knighton, said he expected missions to be launched from Fairford within days. Starmer also agreed to allow the use of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago, for similar operations.
On Saturday, the MoD confirmed that the US had begun using British bases for defensive operations. It also announced that a Merlin helicopter, described as a “submarine hunter”, was being sent to the Middle East for additional airborne surveillance. The moves come after Donald Trump demanded Iran’s unconditional surrender, while Israeli warplanes bombed Tehran and Beirut, and Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf states.
Starmer has defended his decision to block initial offensive strikes by the US and Israel, insisting it had not damaged the special relationship. However, Trump launched a personal attack on the prime minister, saying he was “not Winston Churchill”. Reports of cabinet opposition at a National Security Council meeting were denied by Starmer, who said all ministers supported the UK position.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan backed Starmer’s resistance to US pressure, criticising what he called a “war of choice” without UN approval. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of being “too scared to make foreign interventions” and said the UK was “in this war whether Keir Starmer likes it or not”. The Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is expected to sail to the eastern Mediterranean next week.
