A UK government spokesperson said: "There is a political process ongoing between the US and Iran, which the UK supports. Neither RAF Fairford nor Diego Garcia were used in the US strikes carried out last year on Iran's nuclear facilities. RAF Fairford and other UK military bases were most recently used by the US in support of a military operation to seize the registered tanker known as Bella 1 earlier this year. Under a long-held agreement, the US would have to first request to use any UK sovereign military bases before conducting military operations. "Keir Starmer needs to stand strong and give Parliament a vote on the use of UK bases by US forces."

Source: The Times February 20, 2026 02:13 UTC