Lammy: RAF jets could legally strike Iran’s missile bases

Royal Air Force jets could legally strike Iranian missile sites being used to attack British interests in the Middle East, David Lammy said.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that F-35 and Typhoon jets were currently only shooting down missiles and drones fired by Iran at allies in the region.

But he said there was a legal basis for them to do more and strike directly at the Iranian bases being used to launch attacks.

The UK has already given the US permission to use British bases to carry out defensive strikes against Iran’s missile facilities.

He told BBC Breakfast: “It is entirely legal to protect our people and protect our staff, and therefore all operational capability is available to us in those circumstances.”

He said the UK had the satellite and intelligence capability to identify Iranian sites.

Asked if the UK could fire at an Iranian base in anticipation of it launching an attack, he said: “It is my understanding that that would be legal.”

Defence Secretary John Healey has not ruled out UK aircraft taking part in strikes on Iran, saying that “as circumstances in any conflict change, you’ve got to be willing to adapt the action you take”.

Downing Street said it remained the UK’s intention to focus on defending allies in the Middle East while allowing the US to strike targets in Iran.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We have consistently said that we’ll take the necessary steps to prevent future strikes… (that) as we’ve set out over the course of the week is allowing the US to take out those missiles at source whilst we are defending the skies.

“And that is a consistent position that we have conveyed throughout the week.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has backed the idea of RAF jets striking Iranian missile sites.

“You can’t always wait for people to attack you. Sometimes you have to make sure that you get there first to stop their ability to hurt your citizens,” she told the BBC.

The UK has been criticised by allies over its response to the crisis, particularly over the defence of Cyprus and the RAF Akrotiri base which was struck by a drone.

Air defence destroyer HMS Dragon is not expected to sail to the eastern Mediterranean until next week and France and Greece have deployed military assets to defend Cyprus.

One reason it is taking some time to prepare Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is because it is being equipped to remain at sea for several months if required, rather than rushed into the eastern Mediterranean for just a short period of time.

Asked if he was embarrassed, Mr Lammy told Sky News: “Absolutely not… we have F-35s, Typhoons in the sky taking down missiles as we speak and that has happened over Jordan, it’s happened over Qatar and of course, we will support nationals in the region.

“It’s also right to say that we co-ordinate with allies, the French, the Germans. Cyprus is a Nato ally, so we co-ordinate also with other teams and other close allies on how we equip the area.

“HMS Dragon will be in the region in the coming weeks to further bolster and further support our air defences.”

Cyprus is not a member of Nato.

Two Wildcat helicopters armed with drone-busting missiles arrived in Cyprus on Friday.

Meanwhile, Mr Lammy said there should be an investigation into leaks from the National Security Council following reports of a Cabinet split over the response to the US and Israeli war on Iran.

The Spectator reported that Sir Keir Starmer suggested allowing the US to use the bases to carry out defensive strikes against Iranian targets at a meeting last Friday but was met with opposition from Ed Miliband, Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper and Shabana Mahmood.

Permission to allow the bases to be used against Iran’s missile sites was only granted on Sunday after Tehran had launched a wave of retaliatory attacks against countries across the Middle East.

Mr Lammy told Sky News: “I don’t recognise those reports and I have to say I think it is a travesty that any anyone should report from a National Security Council… because of course it puts British lives at risk and I hope that is properly investigated.”

Meanwhile, efforts to help Britons trapped in the war zone continued, with the first Government charter flight arriving in the UK early on Friday morning.

Passengers on the Titan Airways charter flight, which flew in from Muscat, Oman, told of sleeping in car parks in Dubai as they heard explosions during the beginning of the conflict.

Amelia Reid and Samuel Sharp said they travelled to Dubai for a long weekend, arriving last Friday, and by Saturday evening they were sheltering under their hotel.

Mr Sharp said: “Saturday, we ended up sleeping in a car park in the basement of the hotel with about 100 other people, after the alarms went off on our phones.

“Didn’t get told if it was safe to go up or not, just went up for breakfast and I think we heard a massive bang after that, so it’s just on edge, on edge for four days.”

Ms Reid, who had been travelling in a wheelchair, said: “We left Dubai yesterday lunchtime, went straight to the Oman border, and went on a coach all the way to Muscat airport in the hope we’d get on the Government plane.”

A second Government evacuation flight left Oman on Friday afternoon.

Etihad Airways announced on Friday it would be resuming a “limited commercial flight schedule” until March 19, including flights to and from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow, Manchester and Dublin.

More than 160,000 people in the region have registered their presence with the Foreign Office as the crisis has deepened.