MOSCOW, April 7: The United Kingdom will deny the United States access to its bases for strikes on bridges and power plants in Iran, ‘The i Paper’ newspaper reported, citing sources.
On March 30, Trump said the United States would “blow up and completely obliterate” all of Iran’s power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and desalination plants if a peace agreement was not reached and the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened. On Sunday, he further warned of a “Power Plant Day and Bridge Day” on April 7 unless Tehran reopened the Strait to traffic.
London is only willing to provide its bases for defensive strikes, and Trump’s threats to strike Iran’s key civilian infrastructure do not fall under this definition, the report said on Monday. According to the newspaper, decisions regarding access for American bombers to British bases are made on a case-by-case basis.
UK air force base Fairford is the only base in Europe where US strategic bombers land. The base was also used to bomb Iraq and Yugoslavia.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on targets in Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran responded by striking Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
The escalation around Iran has led to the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for deliveries of oil and liquefied natural gas from the Persian Gulf countries to the global market, driving up energy prices.
(UNI)
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