Shadowy British base in Indian Ocean could be used for US attacks on Iran
When Israel launched its first wave of attacks on Iran last Friday, Keir Starmer's government was quick to announce that Britain played no role in the offensive.
The government also made clear it had not helped defend Israel against the retaliatory Iranian drone attacks, in contrast to previous episodes.
Since then the UK has voiced support for "Israel's right to defend itself" and moved Royal Air Force jets and other military assets to the Middle East for "contingency support".
Prime Minister Starmer hasn't ruled out the possibility that the UK could help Israel deflect strikes from Iran, but he has made clear his government has no appetite for entanglement in the conflict.
This comes as UK-Israel relations are increasingly strained, particularly after Britain sanctioned Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir last week.
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"We are clear that de-escalation is the right outcome for the Middle East," Starmer's spokesperson insisted on Tuesday afternoon.
"That is why the prime minister’s been focused in recent days at the G7 on de-escalation and we will continue to be focused on de-escalation."
But however much the government hopes to avoid involvement in the clashes, if the United States directly intervenes then Britain will almost certainly find itself heavily involved - even if it does not help protect Israel from Iranian strikes.
The reason for this is a shadowy UK-US military base deep in the Indian Ocean.
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is one of the 60 Chagos Islands that until recently represented the last remains of Britain's empire in the region.
In May the Starmer government transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, but signed an agreement to lease the Diego Garcia base for 99 years.
A hugely strategic base, Diego Garcia was the reason Britain pushed to retain the Chagos Islands when Mauritius won its independence in 1968.
The base puts US bomber aircraft within just 5,300 kilometres of Iran and could allow them to attack Iran while avoiding Gulf airspace.
On Monday, four US B-52 Stratofortress bombers - which can carry precision-guided bombs - were sighted on a Diego Garcia runway, according to the Daily Mail.
In April the US also moved six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to the base.
The bombers are capable of carrying 30,000-pound “bunker-buster” bombs that could destroy military sites in Iran, including its underground nuclear sites.
Diego Garcia would be almost certain to play a crucial role in any future American attacks on Iran.
This means that British army personnel risk being caught in the line of fire.
They have already faced threats by Iranian military officials, who have repeatedly warned Israel's allies that they could be attacked if they help defend Israel.
Iran's Khorramshahr ballistic missiles and Shahed-136B kamikaze drones have the range to attack the base, which houses around 4,000 people - mostly American military personnel and contractors.
Starmer to chair Cobra meeting
Diego Garcia was crucial to the US-led so-called "war on terror" and the US military used the island to launch attacks on Afghanistan after 9/11, and on Iraq during the 2003 invasion.
In 2008, a TIME Magazine investigation revealed that the island was being used as an interrogation site for suspected Al Qaeda members.
US naval ships docked there were used to torture detainees, human rights group Reprieve has alleged.
British police cars drive around the island - but on the right hand side of the road, as in America. Street names refer to the island's colonial past and include Britannia Way and Churchill Road.
On Wednesday afternoon Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected US calls for surrender and threatened "that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage".
On Tuesday US President Donald Trump demanded "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" from Iran in a post on his Truth Social platform.
As the situation continues to escalate, the British prime minister is set to chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the security situation in the Middle East.
The British government has told relatives of British officials working in the UK's embassy in Israel to leave the country - but has not told UK nationals in general to do so.
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