UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds confirmed in an interview with Sky News that the British government had been “informed” in advance of the US attack on Iran. [Getty]
Britain did not receive a U.S. request for its Diego Garcia base to be used in the U.S. strikes on Iran, but it was informed ahead of the attack, senior minister Jonathan Reynolds said on Sunday.
Reynolds said Britain had moved military assets to the region and would take “all action necessary” to defend its key allies if they came under threat. He added that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was talking to allies on Sunday.
“No request was made,” the business and trade minister told Sky News. “I know often because of British military assets, RAF Akrotiri (in Cyprus) or Diego Garcia, sometimes that request is made. And this was not a situation where that request was made”.
Reynolds added that Britain had been informed of the strike.
“I can’t tell you exactly when we did know, but we were informed, as you might expect,” he said.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table” over its nuclear ambitions after the US carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
“Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,” Starmer said on X, adding that “stability in the region is a priority”.
“We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.”
Britain moved extra fighter jets and other military assets to the Middle East as “contingency support” last week, as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalated.
The UK will “take all actions necessary to defend our own interest… and of course, that of key allies if they are under threat,” Reynolds said.
Britain has sought to de-escalate the situation while still opposing Iran’s nuclear programme since Israel launched strikes on Iran over a week ago.
Israel claimed that Tehran was close to developing a nuclear weapon, which Iran has always denied.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and top European diplomats met with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva on Friday to seek a halt in fighting.
