Britain, France and Germany said they are ready to work with the United States and regional partners to help stop Iran’s retaliatory attacks. In a joint statement on Sunday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said they are “appalled” by Iran’s “reckless” strikes on their allies. They said the attacks are threatening their service members and citizens in the region.
The three leaders said, "We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source. We have agreed to work together with the U.S. and allies in the region on this matter.”
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They added, “We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this.”
UK base access and citizens at risk
Keir Starmer also said on Sunday that Britain has accepted a United States request to use British bases for defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers.
"The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose. We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region," he said in a video message on X (formerly Twitter).
My update on the situation in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/DvsOVcTDMy
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) March 1, 2026
Starmer said Britain was not involved in the joint US-Israel air strikes on Iran that killed the regime's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday. He added that Britain would not join further waves of strikes.
However, he said Iran had retaliated with sustained attacks across the region. He said its missiles had hit airports and hotels where British citizens were staying.
"Our decision that the UK would not be involved with the strikes on Iran was deliberate, not least because we believe that the best way forward for the region and for the world is a negotiated settlement, one in which Iran agrees to give up any aspirations to develop a nuclear weapon," he said.
"But Iran is striking British interests nonetheless, and putting British people at huge risk", he added.
Starmer said Gulf partners had asked Britain to do more to defend them. He said it was his duty to protect British lives.
He added that British fighter jets were already taking part in coordinated defensive operations and had intercepted Iranian strikes. He said the only way to stop the threat was to destroy the missiles at their source in storage depots or launchers.
He said accepting the US request was based on the "collective self-defense of long-standing friends and allies and protecting British lives" in accordance with international law.
