The UK Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has denounced Iran's 'reckless threats' after Tehran targeted the joint US-UK military base in the Chagos Islands.
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and CNN, citing unnamed US officials, two ballistic missiles were fired at the island of Diego Garcia, but neither reached its target. One of the missiles reportedly failed in flight, while the other was intercepted by a US warship.
The UK government has agreed to allow the US to use British military bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. Cooper stated that the UK will provide defensive support against Iranian threats but will not be drawn into a wider conflict.
Response From Authorities
Cooper reiterated the UK's position, saying, 'As the Prime Minister has made clear, we will provide defensive support against these reckless Iranian threats, but we have not been - and we continue not to be - involved in offensive action.'
The US military has declined to comment on the incident. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the UK's participation in the conflict was 'putting British lives in danger' and that Iran would 'exercise its right to self-defence'.
Timeline of Events
The incident occurred before the UK agreed to let the US use British military bases to hit Iranian sites targeting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The UK government announced on Friday that it had agreed to allow the US to use British bases for strikes on Iranian sites.
Sir Keir Starmer will hold a Cobra meeting next week to discuss plans to mitigate the impact of the war on the cost of living. The International Energy Agency expects the disruption to oil supply to affect wider energy markets.
Government Support
Cooper stated that supporting families affected by the conflict was the government's 'top priority'. The government has announced support to help offset the rise in the price of heating oil and plans to lower energy bills in the spring.
