UK would have to sign off on US use of Diego Garcia base for raid on Iran

The UK government will have to sign off on US use of its Diego Garcia base in any bombing raid on Iran, it has emerged, as ministers met amid increasing tensions in the region.

- Pippa Crerar Dan Sabbagh

Keir Starmer chaired an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the UK's response to the crisis in the Middle East, which could escalate further should the US enter the conflict between Israel and Iran.

After the prime minister landed back in Britain following the G7 summit in Canada, he brought together ministers and senior officials to update the UK's response beyond urging de-escalation.

But with Donald Trump still not revealing what action he may take, the UK government is working on options dependent on whether the US pursues military action, and if it asks allies for support at any stage.

One key issue for the UK would be whether to give permission for the US to fly B-2 stealth bombers from the Diego Garcia airbase in the Indian Ocean to attack Iran's nuclear enrichment site, which is up to 90 metres (290ft) beneath a mountain at Fordow.

The decision on whether to grant the US permission to use the base, should it request to do so, would be a political one, and Starmer would be expected to seek the advice of his national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, who was Tony Blair's chief of staff at the time of the Iraq war.