Britain’s New Prime Minister Willing To Cooperate With Americans on Bombing Missions From British Bases

Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, appears to be siding with Washington in the Iran war, fending off Iranian threats of vengeance, despite previous doubts about his enthusiasm for the “special relationship” that has bound the two nations at least since the first World War.Seen as considerably to the left of his Labour Party predecessor, Keir Starmer, Mr. Burnham has shown what side he’s on by permitting an American B1 bomber to take off from a Royal Air Force base for a mission over Iran.Much to the relief of the Americans, Mr. Burnham did not hesitate to carry on with the policy that his predecessor had been reluctant to set. Mr. Starmer had refused at the outset of the American and Israeli bombing on February 28 to permit American planes to take off from British bases for missions over Iran but relented under severe American pressure.Once a severe critic of Mr. Trump, Mr. Burnham got along with him just fine in their initial telephone call after Mr. Burnham took over as prime minister Monday. One item they cleared up right away was the use of British bases in the war.Both sides left no doubt of the Americans’ right to fly from British bases in the face of Iranian threats to attack Britain just as it’s been hitting countries along the Persian Gulf for cooperating with the Americans.Mr. Burnham’s office said he had “outlined the UK’s commitment to securing the movement of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” and Mr. Trump on Truth Social said he and Mr. Burnham had “discussed North Sea Oil, Trade, the Military Alliance, Demining of the Hormuz Strait, and many other topics.” The call, he said, “went very well.”The B1 mission against Iran, the first since Mr. Burnham became prime minister, was met with a volley of dire rhetoric from Tehran. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Iran “’reserves its right to take all necessary measures within the framework of self-defence,” a warning that carried the menace of a long-range attack by Iranian drones and missiles. Iran has said that “any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target.”Although Britain might appear far out of the range of Iranian missiles, the Israeli Defense Forces have said that Iran is developing missiles capable of hitting targets almost anywhere in Europe. “The Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat, with missiles that can reach London, Paris or Berlin,” according to the IDF.Britain has said it’s pursuing “a layered approach to air and missile defense, provided by Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force assets equipped with a range of advanced capabilities, working closely with our Nato allies,” according to the BBC. Britain remains “committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict.”Despite his leftist political antecedents, Mr. Burnham may be more enthusiastic than was Mr. Starmer about beefing up Britain’s armed forces. Mr. Burnham has named Mr. Starmer’s former defense minister, John Healey, as chancellor of the exchequer, the top cabinet position, equivalent to treasury secretary. Mr. Healey had resigned as defense minister, protesting that Mr. Starmer was not moving quickly enough to beef up Britain’s armed forces and raising the defense budget to at least three percent of the gross domestic product.It was the fear of a wider war that persuaded Mr. Starmer initially to bar American warplanes from taking off from British soil. The most vulnerable is the base on the island of Diego Garcia,part of a British overseas territory. The Iranians in March fired two missiles at the base, more than 2,000 miles away, one of which was shot down by an American missile. The other plunged into the sea hundreds of miles short of its target.Still, the missile shots showed Iran might try again. “Iran’s strike on Diego Garcia will be sounding alarm bells all across Europe,” Britain’s Sunday Telegraph said at the time, reporting fears that the attack had shown that “London, Paris and Berlin lie within Tehran’s reach.”

Britain’s New Prime Minister Willing To Cooperate With Americans on Bombing Missions From British Bases

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