(Reuters) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
LONDON, March 20 – The British government gave authorisation on Friday for the\u00a0U.S.<\/a>\u00a0to use military bases in Britain to carry out \u200bstrikes on Iranian missile sites that are attacking ships in\u00a0the Strait \u200cof Hormuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n British ministers met on Friday to discuss the war with Iran<\/a> and Iran’s blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Downing Street statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n “They confirmed that the agreement \u200bfor the U.S. to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of \u200bthe region includes U.S. defensive operations to degrade the missile \u2060sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of \u200bHormuz,” the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on \u200bX that Starmer was “putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran,” adding “Iran will exercise its right to self-defense.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starmer said this week Britain<\/a> would \u200bnot be drawn into a war over Iran. He initially rejected a \u200bU.S. request to use British bases for the strikes on Iran, saying he needed to \u200cbe \u2060satisfied that any military action was legal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the prime minister modified his stance after Iran conducted strikes on British allies across the Middle East, saying that the United States could use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-UK base in \u200bthe Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Donald \u200bTrump<\/a> has repeatedly attacked \u2060Starmer<\/a> since the conflict started, complaining he was not doing enough to help him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, Trump said there were “some \u200bcountries that greatly disappointed me” before he singled out Britain, \u200bwhich he \u2060said had once been considered “the Rolls-Royce of allies”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Downing Street statement on Friday called for “urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n