Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the United Kingdom will involve Ukrainian specialists to jointly combat Iranian drones attacking the Persian Gulf countries.
Starmer said this during an address on March 1.
“We will also involve specialists from Ukraine, who, together with our own specialists, will help our partners from the Persian Gulf to shoot down Iranian drones that attack them,” the British Prime Minister said.
During the address, Starmer also announced that he had allowed the US to use Royal Air Force bases in Cyprus to protect against Iranian strikes. The British government had previously refused the United States this request, fearing possible violations of international law.
Starmer changed his position due to the massive strikes that Iran carried out on the territory of countries not participating in the US-Israeli operation. According to the Prime Minister, missiles hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying, as well as a military base in Bahrain, which almost led to the death of British soldiers. France, Germany and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement condemning the “indiscriminate and disproportionate” Iranian attacks and stressed their readiness to strike back.
Israeli and US military operation against Iran
On February 28, Israel attacked the Iranian capital, Tehran. US President Donald Trump later said that the US military had launched a “major combat operation” against Iran to “eliminate the imminent threat posed by the Iranian regime”. He accused the Iranian regime of “funding and training” militants in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Hamas in Palestine. According to him, the aim of the military operation was to “destroy Iran's missile industry and navy” and “ensure that it cannot destabilise the world”.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missiles and drones towards Israel, and also attacked US military bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Amid the US military operation against Iran, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris is calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
The European Union said it reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to ensuring regional security and stability” in the Middle East.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was fair to give the Iranians a chance to get rid of “the terrorist regime and guarantee the security of all peoples who have suffered from attacks from Iran.”
On February 28, Trump tweeted that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was dead. The information was later confirmed by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
On March 1, the IRGC announced that it was launching “the most devastating offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic” against Israel and “American terrorist bases.” Trump called on the Iranian regime to abandon these plans and threatened to strike “a very strong blow” in response.