Newly installed British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to allow the United States to continue using British military bases for operations against Iran, according to officials cited by Bloomberg and the Telegraph. The approval, conveyed within 48 hours of Burnham taking office, covers the strategic RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire and the joint US-UK facility on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. It formalises a policy shaped during the final days of Keir Starmer’s premiership, when ministers decided that American aircraft could employ the bases for what London terms “defensive strikes” against Iranian missile threats and positions used to target the Strait of Hormuz. The decision comes as US Central Command confirms a new round of strikes on Iranian military command centres, launch sites and air-defence systems, and as Washington reimposes a naval blockade on the strait.

Viewed from Washington, the use of British bases is a vital operational requirement. President Donald Trump had publicly clashed with Starmer over delays in granting clearance for B-2 bombers to strike Iran from Diego Garcia, telling the Telegraph in March that he was “very disappointed” and that the hesitation over legality was unprecedented. A US official quoted in British press reports said the president expects allies to provide access to bases in Europe to advance global and European security, noting that thousands of American troops are stationed on the continent for its protection. The Pentagon frames the current air operations as necessary to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten shipping and to counter missile capabilities, while Trump has separately warned that the nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain could become a target absent a diplomatic resolution.

In London, the decision places Burnham on a political tightrope. The new prime minister inherits a cabinet that includes Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who, according to the Telegraph, had previously dissuaded Starmer from granting the Americans unrestricted access. Backbench Labour MPs, along with the Green Party and Liberal Democrats, argue that hosting US strike aircraft makes Britain complicit in war crimes, a concern amplified by Trump’s threats to hit civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants. British officials are reported to be worried about the legal consequences of such strikes. The government’s careful characterisation of the missions as “defensive” is designed to navigate both domestic opposition and international legal obligations, while preserving the security partnership with Washington.

Tehran maintains that the US and Israeli military actions constitute aggression, and it asserts a right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Iranian officials have stated that the country has targeted US bases and Israeli military positions in response, and they insist that security in the Strait of Hormuz must be ensured by coastal states without foreign military intervention. The current escalation follows a pattern: a joint US-Israeli campaign began in late February 2026, a ceasefire was brokered in April, and then collapsed after Washington accused Iran of attacking vessels near the strait. Trump announced at a NATO summit in Ankara that the truce was over, and the naval blockade was reimposed on 14 July. Burnham’s first telephone call with Trump as prime minister touched on mine-clearing operations in the strait and was described by the US president as “very good”. No official statement has been issued by Downing Street on the base decision, and parliamentary scrutiny is expected to intensify as military operations continue.