Britain is set to deny Trump access to British bases for his feared ‘four-hour’ devastation campaign against Iran.
Starmer will not permit the US President to utilise RAF bases for strikes on Iranian bridges or power plants, according to The i Paper.
Trump’s latest warning threatens to unleash “Hell” on Iran’s key civilian infrastructure on Tuesday should the Strait of Hormuz remain closed.
The British Prime Minister has previously made clear that American military access to UK bases must be confined to operations targeting Iran’s defensive capabilities that could pose a threat to British interests or its allies in the Gulf.
US strikes on bridges and power plants fall outside this remit, and it is believed that access would be refused should Washington make such a request, reports the Mirror.
Trump has labelled Tuesday as ‘Power Plant Day’ (Image: Alex Wong, Getty Images)
Trump has dubbed Tuesday “Power Plant Day”.
It is understood that no formal request to use RAF bases for any of these strikes has yet been made.
While Starmer has not altered his position on the use of UK bases, declining to allow Tuesday’s operation to be launched from these locations could deepen the rift between Trump and the Prime Minister.
According to several legal experts, targeting civilian bridges and power plants could amount to a war crime.
The US President took a fresh dig at Starmer on Monday, asserting that the UK has a “long way to go” and drawing comparisons between the PM and his predecessor who appeased Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The President said: “We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree? We don’t want Neville Chamberlain.”
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Trump escalated his threat to strike power plants and bridges, adding that he “won’t go further, because there are other things that are worse than those two.
“If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil. Because it’s there for the taking. There’s not a thing they can do about it.
“Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me I’d take the oil, I’d keep the oil […] make plenty of money and I’d also take care of the people of Iran.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson stated: “The UK authorized the United States to use British bases for defensive missions to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, which are threatening British people, bases, and our partners in the region.
“The United States is using British bases for specific defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles into the region, which is putting British lives at risk. This is alongside the defensive action the UK is taking to protect British people across the region.
“We won’t be providing a running commentary on our allies’ operations, including their use of our bases.”
Starmer made an announcement on March 1 in which he granted permission for the US military to utilise bases at Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire. He explained: “The only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source – in their storage depots or the launchers which used to fire the missiles.”
He further stated that this formed part of “the collective self-defence of long-standing friends and allies, and protecting British lives” and was “in accordance with international law”.
Britain is set to host a virtual conference on Tuesday of allied military officers to deliberate over plans for securing the Strait of Hormuz, as Donald Trump‘s deadline for Iran to reopen the vital waterway draws ever closer.
The US president has issued Tehran an ultimatum until 8pm on Tuesday Washington time (1am on Wednesday UK time) to end its blockade of the strait or face being bombed “back to the Stone Ages”.