A British military base in Cyprus hit by an unmanned drone strike at the start of the Iran war will not be used by the US to counter Tehran’s missile sites after an international row.
Sir Keir Starmer told the Cypriot president that RAF Akrotiri would not be among the UK bases from which the US could launch strikes.
No 10 said Sir Keir also underscored that as “close partners and friends, Cyprus’s security was of utmost importance to the UK”.
On Thursday, Nikos Christodoulides said he would have an “open and frank discussion with the British government” over the future of the UK military bases located in Cyprus.
He described the bases as being a “colonial consequence” and said the Cypriot government has a responsibility to the 10,000 citizens living within the bases amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
On Friday, the UK gave Donald Trump the green light to use British bases to strike Iranian missile sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz.
Downing Street said any such action would still amount to “collective self-defence”, insisting it would not mean the UK was drawn into the wider conflict.
It said UK bases will now be used for US “defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships” in the key shipping lane, crucial to the globe’s oil supply.
But the base in Cyprus will not be including, the PM said.
This is a developing story, more follows…
