A vital stepping stone for the strikes.
As the US attacks on Iran continue for the 12th day, a surprising continuation in policy has taken place, with the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burham, allowing the use of UK bases by American military airplanes involved in the operations.
Today (23), it arises that the US deployed a B1 bomber from a British base, in the first such mission in Burnham’s premiership.
On Andy Burnham’s second day as UK prime minister, he helped the US bomb Iran via RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
We visited RAF Fairford in March of this year to investigate how Donald Trump was using the airbase to bomb Iran at the height of the war.
Screens had been put… pic.twitter.com/W2KyhMvkbE
— Declassified UK (@declassifiedUK) July 23, 2026
The Telegraph reported:
“The long-range plane was used to hit Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets, sources told Axios. The B1, which can carry two dozen 2,000lb bombs, took off from RAF Fairford on Tuesday, and was seen on plane-tracking websites.
Mr. Burnham had agreed to continue Sir Keir Starmer’s policy of allowing the US to use the air base in Gloucestershire, as well as Diego Garcia airfield in the Chagos Islands for ‘defensive strikes’, Bloomberg reported.”
BREAKING: Multiple US Air Force B-1 Lancer heavy strategic bombers departed the UK shortly after Trump directly threatened strikes on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility.
The UK’s new Prime Minister Burnham has also just approved the use of UK bases for US strikes on Iran,… pic.twitter.com/IdWOdCuyCr
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) July 21, 2026
“Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, has long been opposed to this position, prompting concern from the White House over his appointment. In February, he led opposition on the National Security Council to the use of UK bases for US bombers, causing tension between Sir Keir and Mr. Trump.
The US president warned on Wednesday he would hit a bridge or power plant for every ship Iran attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.”
NEW: Iran says the UK’s decision to allow the US to use British bases for strikes on Iran “could constitute participation in an act of aggression” against the country
— Politics Global (@PolitlcsGlobal) July 23, 2026
BREAKING: Iran’s IRGC directly threatens to target UK soil, saying “any base used to attack Iranian soil is a legitimate target,” per Tasnim.
The IRGC says the US turned to B-1 Lancer aircraft flying from Fairford air base in England yesterday to strike Iran after its cruise…
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) July 23, 2026
Anadolu Agency reported:
“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned Thursday that any British military base used by the US to launch attacks against Tehran will become a “legitimate target,” while accusing London of playing a major role in recent US and Israeli military operations.
In a statement, the IRGC said the US had recently resorted to using B-1 bombers flying from RAF Fairford in England after warships operating in the Indian Ocean exhausted their stock of cruise missiles.
‘Any base used for aggression against Iranian territory is a legitimate target for us’, the IRGC said.
It warned Britain ‘not to further worsen its record’, accusing London of being ‘a principal architect of instability’ in the Middle East, saying it had played one of the largest roles in the recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran.”
Read more from March:
Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles at UK-US Base of Diego Garcia Mere Hours After PM Starmer Authorizes the Use of British Airbases for American Strikes on the Mullahs’ Regime
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