Britain has stopped short of endorsing recent U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran, saying it is up to Washington to clearly spell out the legal justification for the operation
as the Middle East slides into a more dangerous phase.
Defence Secretary John Healey said on Sunday that the UK was not involved in the strikes and declined to say whether they complied with international law. Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Healey stressed that responsibility for explaining the legal basis rested with the United States.
“It is for the U.S. to set out the legal basis of the action that it took,” he said.
Iranian state media has reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the air strikes on Saturday, a development that has further inflamed an already volatile situation following attacks involving the U.S. and Israel.
Healey reiterated that while Britain played no operational role, it shared the long-standing objective of the U.S. and regional allies that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.
He warned that Iran’s response was becoming increasingly indiscriminate, with retaliatory attacks allegedly aimed not only at military installations but also at civilian infrastructure, including airports and hotels.
“We have strengthened the UK defences in the region, we are active in regional defence operations,” Healey told Sky News.
According to the defence secretary, British aircraft are operating from bases in Qatar and Cyprus, where they are helping intercept drone attacks targeting allied forces and facilities. He described the situation as “serious and deteriorating,” with a growing risk of further indiscriminate strikes.
Healey also confirmed that two missiles had been fired in the direction of Cyprus, although he said there was no indication the island itself was the intended target.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said Prime Minister Keir Starmer had called him to discuss the unfolding crisis.
“(Starmer) confirmed clearly and unequivocally that Cyprus was not a target,” Christodoulides wrote on X, adding that authorities remained in close contact and were monitoring developments as tensions continue to rise across the region. Photo by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Wikimedia commons.