By Olivier Acuña Barba •
Revealed: 14 Jun 2025 • 20:02
• 2 minutes learn
Keir Starmer deploys jets to the Center East however refuses to verify if the UK is getting concerned | Credit: Shutterstock
The UK has ordered the deployment of plane, together with fighter jets, to the Center East to safeguard its army bases in response to escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, Prime Minister Keir Starmer introduced on Saturday.
“We’re shifting property to the area, together with jets,” Starmer advised reporters on the best way to the Group of Seven assembly in Canada, Bloomberg reported.
Starmer mentioned the UK is mobilising further quick jets and refuelling plane to affix present property within the area. The deployment goals to supply “contingency assist” throughout the Center East amid fears of additional escalation. Preparations started on Friday morning after Israel’s strikes focused Iran’s nuclear program and prime army management. Iran earlier warned the UK, US, and France in opposition to serving to Israel defend and assault Iran or Tehran management would order their bases and warships focused by assaults.
Starmer doesn’t rule out defending Israel
On his flight to the G7 Summit, Starmer refused to rule out defending Israel from Iranian strikes, regardless of Iran’s warnings, the Guardian reported. He additionally said that he had spoken with different world leaders, together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
“I’ll at all times make the suitable selections for the UK,” he mentioned, when requested about his response to Iran’s threats in opposition to the bases of any Western nations that got here to Israel’s assist. “We’re shifting property to the area, together with jets, and that’s for contingency assist within the area.”
The Guardian additionally quoted Downing Road as stating they might deploy further quick jets, becoming a member of these already within the Center East and extra refuelling plane to “present contingency assist all through the Center East, ought to escalation proceed”.
The PM additionally declines to reply this query
Declining to reply whether or not the UK would actively interact within the battle, Starmer mentioned, “These are clearly operational selections and the state of affairs is ongoing and creating, and subsequently I’m not going to get into the exact particulars.”
He additionally mentioned, “However we’re shifting property, we’ve already been shifting property to the area, together with jets, and that’s for contingency assist throughout the area. So that’s taking place.”
There isn’t any official data on any British army motion within the Israel-Iran battle, together with serving to intercept Iranian missiles focused at Israel.
Starmer additionally declined to make clear if he was notified upfront of Israel’s assaults on Iran. “I’m not going to enter what data we had on the time or since. However we talk about this stuff intensely with our allies. However I’m not going to get into exactly what we knew, as a result of it’s a continuing circulate of knowledge between our allies, and between us and the US.”
Consultants have warned that Iran’s risk to retaliate in opposition to the UK and its allies needs to be “taken severely” with Tehran countenancing actions that had been “beforehand unthinkable”, the Guardian wrote.