In the face of threats by President Trump to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages,” the British government on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer remained opposed to American use of British bases for anything other than defensive purposes.
During a media briefing with journalists, the prime minister’s spokesman declined to say whether British officials had explicitly told the United States not to launch attacks from their territory on civilian targets in Iran like bridges or energy facilities, attacks Mr. Trump has threatened.
But the spokesman said the prime minister had not changed his mind on the previous limits placed on American bombers taking off from British bases, including from R.A.F. Fairford, in a quiet corner of southern England, where B-52 and B-1 bombers have been loaded with munitions before setting off for Iran.
Those limits have enraged Mr. Trump, who has spent the last several weeks accusing Mr. Starmer of cowardice, belittling the capabilities of the British armed forces, and threatening to take the United States out of NATO in retaliation for what he calls a lack of support by allies in the war against Iran.
Mr. Starmer has insisted that Britain will not join “regime change from the skies,” saying that people in his country do not want a repeat of the government’s support of America during the war in Iraq in 2003.
But in an attempt to mollify Mr. Trump, the prime minister gave permission to American bombers to attack missile launchers in Iran that were being used to attack British facilities in the Middle East. Mr. Starmer later expanded that permission to include Iranian targets that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
That compromise does not have appeared to have worked with Mr. Trump, who on Monday compared Mr. Starmer to Neville Chamberlain, the former British prime minister who tried to appease Hitler ahead of World War II.
The president has also mocked the British navy, calling its ships “toys.” And he has said that Britain and other nations in Europe should secure the Strait of Hormuz by themselves, without help from the United States.
The British military is hosting a discussion on Tuesday with counterparts from about 40 governments to discuss military options to secure the strait once the war between Iran, the United States and Israel ends.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said the closed-door meeting was designed to create practical solutions to ensure that shipments of oil, natural gas, fertilizer and other goods will eventually be able to travel through the strait without fear of attacks.
Michael D. Shear is the chief U.K. correspondent for The New York Times, covering British politics and culture and diplomacy around the world.
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