|
The United Kingdom government on Thursday (local time) said its armed forces are prepared to protect the country from any form of attack after Iran warned that British military facilities used to support US strikes against Tehran could become "legitimate targets".
According to CNN, the UK government spokesperson said the country's armed forces remain prepared to defend national security at all times. "Our Armed Forces are ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it's on our soil or from abroad. The UK stands ready 24/7 to defend itself," the spokesperson said, as quoted by CNN. The warning from London came after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to target RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force base in southwest England, alleging that the facility was being used by the United States to launch military operations against Iran. In a statement carried by Iranian state media, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), its Foreign Ministry condemned Britain's decision to allow the use of its military bases and facilities for US operations against Iran. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the decision of the new British ruling council to make its military bases and facilities available to prepare and facilitate illegal US military attacks against the Iranian nation," the Foreign Ministry stated, as quoted by IRIB. Tehran said such cooperation was contrary to the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, claiming that any involvement in preparing or carrying out attacks against Iran would amount to complicity. The IRGC, in a separate statement carried by IRIB, said any military base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory would be considered a valid target. "As Foreign Ministry officials have also clarified, any base used to invade Iranian territory is our legitimate target," the IRGC said, as quoted by IRIB. The IRGC also accused Washington of using B-1 aircraft operating from Fairford after allegedly exhausting missile capabilities from naval platforms in the Indian Ocean. It claimed to have carried out further operations against US-linked targets. "The aggressive US military, which had been using cruise missiles from its ships in the Indian Ocean in its aggressions after the official resumption of the war, turned to using B1 aircraft flying from Fairford Air Base in England yesterday, as the missile reserves of the aforementioned ships ran out," the IRGC statement read. The Head of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament, Ebrahim Azizi, also issued a warning targeting Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military facility located in the Indian Ocean. "The era of Sykes-Picot is long over. The day is not far when you will lose Diego Garcia, like your other colonies. The UK would be wise to reflect on the fragility of its own borders and to recognise that Iran's capabilities extend far beyond military options," Azizi wrote in a post on X. RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire has been used as a forward operating base for US strategic bombers and other aircraft during the conflict with Iran. B-1 Lancer bombers began arriving at the base in early March, followed by B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, with both types conducting missions against Iran from the facility, CNN reported. Located around 2,800 miles from Tehran, it remains unclear whether Iran can conduct a precision strike on the base at such a distance. Iran previously demonstrated long-range strike capabilities when it launched at least two missiles towards Diego Garcia in March, though neither missile reached the base, CNN reported. Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Islands, a remote archipelago located over 1,609 kilometres northeast of Mauritius. (ANI)
|
