The UK has agreed to allow the United States to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Downing Street.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously allowed US forces to use the bases only for defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles that put British interests or lives at risk.
On Friday, ministers approved an expansion of the targets to help protect ships in the strait – a vital oil shipping channel - and still on the basis of "collective self-defence".
Reaction from World Leaders
US President Donald Trump said the UK "should have acted a lot faster", while Iran's foreign minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi claimed Sir Keir was "putting British lives in danger".
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the decision was the "mother of all U-turns" in a post on social media site X.
Details of the Agreement
The UK will still not be directly involved in the strikes and Downing Street said "the principles behind the UK's approach to the conflict remain the same".
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said the government's decision showed the UK was "being drawn further and further down Trump's slippery slope".
US-UK Military Cooperation
UK military planners have joined the US Central Command to look at options for getting tankers through the strait, which has been effectively closed off by the threat of Iranian attacks in retaliation for the US-Israeli bombing campaign.
Just under 100 ships have passed through the strait since the start of March, according to data analysed by BBC Verify.
International Implications
A Downing Street spokesperson said of Friday's discussions by ministers: "They agreed that Iran's reckless strikes, including on Red Ensign vessels and those of our close allies and Gulf partners, risked pushing the region further into crisis and worsening the economic impact being felt in the UK and around the world."
Downing Street added ministers want "urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war".
