The British government partially reversed course Friday, allowing the US to use UK bases to carry out airstrikes aimed at clearing the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian obstacles.
In a statement issued by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office, the UK confirmed: “[T]he agreement for the US to use UK bases in the collective self-defence [sic] of the region includes US defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.”
London had previously allowed the US to use its bases only to prevent Iran from putting British interests or lives at risk — as when missiles from Tehran targeted UK forces on Cyprus early in the war.
“Ministers condemned Iran’s expansion of its targets to include international shipping,” the statement continued. “They agreed that Iran’s reckless strikes, including on Red Ensign vessels and those of our close allies and Gulf partners, risked pushing the region further into crisis and worsening the economic impact being felt in the UK and around the world.”
“[T]he UK remains committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict,” it concluded. “Ministers underlined the need for urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war.”
The statement came hours after Trump ripped into the UK and other members of the NATO alliance on Truth Social, calling them “cowards” for declining to use their navies to help traffic through the strategic waterway.
“Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” Trump complained. “They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a nuclear-powered Iran.
“Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”
Iran has effectively closed the strait — through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes — since the US and Israel launched their attack Feb. 28.
After many major allies balked at helping with ship escorts, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Canada issued a vague joint statement Thursday offering some assistance.
“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” the sextet said. “We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning.”
Trump initially floated offering US naval escorts to vessels and attempted to entice them to make the risky voyage with a new $20 billion reinsurance program, but found few takers — as Iran attacks tankers in other parts of the Persian Gulf.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the US is deploying new aircraft to help break through the bottleneck by weakening Iran’s military threat to ships.
Low-flying A-10 Thunderbolt II jets are “hunting and killing fast-attack watercraft in the Straits of Hormuz,” Caine said at the Pentagon
“In addition, AH-64 Apaches have joined the fight on the southern flank… and that includes some of our allies who are using Apaches to handle one-way attack drones.”
The Strait’s closure has caused a dramatic jump in global fuel prices — with Brent crude nearing $107 per barrel on Friday — up from around $70 a month ago.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Trump Thursday in the Oval Office that “the global economy is now about to experience a huge hit because of these developments.”
Additional reporting by Steven Nelson