LONDON – Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday robustly defended Britain’s measured response to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, rebuffing President Donald Trump’s barbs by insisting decisions prioritize law and national interest over hasty involvement.
Addressing a hushed parliament, Starmer explained authorizing limited US use of British bases on Sunday followed Iranian drone and missile assaults on Britons in the region. He firmly rejected joining the Saturday offensive strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, navigating pressure from left-wing critics demanding condemnation and right-wing calls for full backing from Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.
“We won’t join offensive action, but we’ll shield our people from Iran’s reckless barrages,” Starmer declared. Dismissing Trump’s Telegraph interview griping over delayed access to bases like Diego Garcia, he added, “It’s my duty to safeguard Britain’s interests, I stand by it.”
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, invoked Iraq 2003’s pitfalls, where false WMD claims justified invasion. “We’ve learned those lessons: UK actions demand lawful basis and solid plans. No regime change from the skies,” he stressed.
Britain hosts 300,000 nationals in the volatile Middle East, now facing Iranian strikes on Gulf hotels and airports near US bases. An Iranian drone grazed RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus Sunday, causing minor damage but no injuries. Starmer greenlit defensive US operations from Diego Garcia to protect them, despite opposition cries of another U-turn.
Trump called the base access “useful” yet voiced “disappointment” in Starmer, flipping on a recent Chagos Islands sovereignty deal with Mauritius that secures the outpost. Khamenei’s death, Starmer warned, has only escalated Iran’s “reckless” civilian threats.
A Downing Street spokesperson underscored enduring UK-US alliance ties amid the friction.