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The UK is moving additional fighter jets and other military aircraft to the Middle East, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Saturday, after Iran threatened to attack British bases in the region if they assisted Israel.
Starmer said the move was a “contingency” measure to support regional security but hinted the UK might also provide defensive support to Israel in its confrontation with Iran.
“We are moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support in the region,” Starmer told reporters after being asked about the Iranian threats.
“I will be clear-eyed in relation to our duties and obligations and my duties as prime minister . . . I will always make the right decisions for the UK and our allies.”
Starmer declined to discuss operational issues but said the situation was “intense” and “fast moving”.
The UK was not involved in Israel’s defence during the first wave of Iranian retaliatory attacks on Friday evening, according to people familiar with the situation.
On Saturday Iran’s state media said that UK, French and US bases in the region would come under attack if the countries helped Israel in any way. Britain has access to bases in Qatar and the UAE and a site in Bahrain.
Starmer said he had a “good and constructive” discussion with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on Friday, adding that it included talks “about the safety and security of Israel, as you would expect between two allies”.
Starmer, who is flying to Canada to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa before travelling on to the G7 meeting in Alberta, emphasised that the UK was urging all sides to back away from further conflict.
“The message is: de-escalate,” Starmer said. “We do have long-standing concerns about the nuclear programme Iran has. We do recognise Israel’s right to self-defence. But I’m absolutely clear that this needs to de-escalate. There is a huge risk of escalation for the region.”
He also warned of the effect a heightened conflict could have on the global economy. “You can see the impact already on the economy and oil prices. And of course, all of this is linked to what’s going on in Gaza. So you can see why my strong position is: this needs to de-escalate,” he said.
The government said that as part of the contingency measure, additional “fast jets” and “refuelling aircraft” were being sent from the UK to the Middle East.
The aircraft began preparing to deploy on Friday morning, the government said, “when it was clear the situation in the region was deteriorating”.
The UK already has RAF jets stationed in the region as part of its contribution to Operation Shader, which targets remnants of the Isis jihadi group.
Starmer said he had discussed de-escalation with US President Donald Trump on Friday and with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday. He said he expected to hold more calls with world leaders while on the flight to Canada.
