U.K. Royal Air Force jets and other British military assets are “continuing to defend our people and personnel” in the region, as the U.K. has also given permission for the U.S. to use British bases for “specific and limited” defensive operations, they said.
Iran’s targeting of Diego Garcia occurred before the U.K. on Friday confirmed that U.S. use of its bases includes defensive operations against “missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.” The access to U.K. bases has been granted for RAF Fairford in the U.K. and Diego Garcia.
Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other on Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Tehran in late February.
The U.S. is sending thousands more Marines to the Middle East, according to media reports, even as U.S. President Donald Trump broached “winding down” American military operations in the region.