By Olivier Acuña Barba •
Published: 14 Jun 2025 • 20:02
• 2 minutes read
Keir Starmer deploys jets to the Middle East but refuses to confirm if the UK is getting involved | Credits: Shutterstock
The United Kingdom has ordered the deployment of aircraft, including fighter jets, to the Middle East to safeguard its military bases in response to escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Saturday.
“We are moving assets to the region, including jets,” Starmer told reporters on the way to the Group of Seven meeting in Canada, Bloomberg reported.
Starmer said the UK is mobilising additional fast jets and refuelling aircraft to join existing assets in the region. The deployment aims to provide “contingency support” across the Middle East amid fears of further escalation. Preparations began on Friday morning after Israel’s strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear program and top military leadership. Iran earlier warned the UK, US, and France against helping Israel defend and attack Iran or Tehran leadership would order their bases and warships targeted by attacks.
Starmer does not rule out defending Israel
On his flight to the G7 Summit, Starmer refused to rule out defending Israel from Iranian strikes, despite Iran’s warnings, the Guardian reported. He also stated that he had spoken with other world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
“I will always make the right decisions for the UK,” he said, when asked about his reaction to Iran’s threats against the bases of any Western nations that came to Israel’s aid. “We are moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support in the region.”
The Guardian also quoted Downing Street as stating they would deploy additional fast jets, joining those already in the Middle East and more refuelling aircraft to “provide contingency support throughout the Middle East, should escalation continue”.
The PM also declines to answer this question
Declining to answer whether the UK would actively engage in the conflict, Starmer said, “These are obviously operational decisions and the situation is ongoing and developing, and therefore I’m not going to get into the precise details.”
He also said, “But we are moving assets, we’ve already been moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support across the region. So that is happening.”
There is no official information on any British military action in the Israel-Iran conflict, including helping intercept Iranian missiles targeted at Israel.
Starmer also declined to clarify if he was notified in advance of Israel’s attacks on Iran. “I’m not going to go into what information we had at the time or since. But we discuss these things intensely with our allies. But I’m not going to get into precisely what we knew, because it’s a constant flow of information between our allies, and between us and the US.”
Experts have warned that Iran’s threat to retaliate against the UK and its allies should be “taken seriously” with Tehran countenancing actions that were “previously unthinkable”, the Guardian wrote.
