U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be relieved by U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to delay a decision for now on striking Iran, giving the British leader more time to address the vexing issue of providing military support.
The standoff between Washington and Tehran this week drew a fresh spotlight on a remote Indian Ocean base controlled by Britain that has long provided a key staging point for American bombers and other military assets. If the U.S. were to launch an attack on Iranian nuclear sites from Diego Garcia, the U.K. would have to quickly decide to back the mission or risk a rift with its closest ally.
Security experts said Starmer would have little choice but to grant Trump approval to use British facilities, despite the prime minister’s repeated calls for Israel, Iran and the U.S. to de-escalate the situation. Diego Garcia provides the U.K. and U.S. navies and air forces with quick access to several regional hot spots and was used during American-led campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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