Starmer’s slow start in the war against Iran could leave UK playing catch-up

Analysis Starmer’s slow start in the war against Iran could leave UK playing catch-up Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor Prime minister’s initial refusal to help US could constrain Britain’s ability to protect its nationals in the Gulf and reassure allies Middle East crisis – live updates Britain knew that the US was considering attacking Iran from the moment Donald Trump told protesters that “help is coming” in the middle of January. It was obvious to the world that the White House was serious when the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group was sent to the Arabian Sea in late January. But as Trump gradually built up his “massive armada”, reinforcing it with a second carrier strike group in mid-February, UK deployments were constrained and limited even though there was a recognition that it was likely allies and bases with British soldiers would be attacked in an Iranian retaliation. In January, Ministry of Defence insiders said they understood that Trump was “giving himself options” – so he could attack Iran if nuclear negotiations were deemed to be failing. Qatar asked the UK to redeploy a joint RAF squadron from Coningsby, Lincolnshire to the country that month, reassurance if an attack on Iran escalated. Six F-35B jets flew to Akrotiri in Cyprus in February, but at that point the UK wanted to keep its military positioning low key. It was clear for weeks that the UK did not want to become part of any initial attack by the US and Israel on Iran, judging it to be illegal under international law, because Tehran posed no imminent threat to the UK. Keir Starmer discussed Iran with Donald Trump in the evening of 17 February. At one point Trump asked if the US could use British airbases to launch bombing missions in Iran, raising the question of what else the US president shared of his military intentions with the prime minister. Starmer refused, prompting an angry post from the US president the following day, complaining that the UK had made “a big mistake” in handi...