The Guardian: UK May Join Strikes On Iran's Missile Arsenals

• 4.03.2026, 23:27

What is known.

Britain has not ruled out taking part in further strikes on Iran's ballistic missile depots and launch locations.

This was reported by The Guardian on Wednesday, March 4, citing its own sources.

"I wouldn't rule anything out at all because we just don't know what will happen in the coming days and weeks, how events will unfold," one of the publication's interlocutors said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier that the country would send the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus. As the publication notes, the destroyer is unlikely to be ready to sail from Portsmouth until next week.

At the same time, US heavy bombers will arrive at the British bases of Diego Garcia on the Chagos Islands and Fairford in Gloucestershire in the coming days. They are likely to attack Iran's underground "missile cities" from there.

The destruction of Iran's ballistic missile arsenals and launch capabilities is one of the main goals of the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign. But many such arsenals are hidden underground and difficult to hit with conventional weapons.

One option is to use U.S. Air Force B-2 or B-52 bombers, armed with munitions specifically to destroy bunkers, from two British bases. And that might require not only the provision of bases but also additional support from the Royal Air Force.

On March 2, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would allow the United States to use its military bases to strike Iranian missiles placed in depots or launchers. But Starmer emphasized at the time that Britain had not participated in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran and had no plans to participate in further strikes.

March 3, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed disappointment with Starmer's position and said that relations between the two countries "are no longer what they were"