Future of RAF bases under threat after Iran's ambassador to Britain sends chilling warning to Keir Starmer

Marcus Donaldson
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:33:29 +0000

Iran is actively assessing whether Britain's military bases could be considered legitimate targets, the Islamic regime's ambassador to the UK has warned.

The chilling threat comes after Sir Keir Starmer permitted American bombers to conduct strikes against Iranian territory from RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia.

"This is a very important matter we are considering. This is a very important matter for our self-defence," Seyed Ali Mousavi told The Times.

"The military sections of our system will decide appropriately. It depends on your activities.

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“It depends on the British decision about this matter. Every option should be considered. We are very careful and delicate about how to defend ourselves."

Mr Mousavi offered praise for Sir Keir Starmer's "initial position" to remain uninvolved in what the ambassador described as the "criminal act of the American side and the Israeli regime" against Iran.

However, the decision to allow US aircraft to operate from British soil has significantly complicated matters.

The Prime Minister has authorised US forces to launch "defensive strikes" from British bases, targeting missile launchers threatening Middle Eastern allies or vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's threat comes just days after a top Labour minister assured Britons that the Islamic Republic was not planning to attack the UK.

Lord Coaker, head of international relations and diplomacy at the Ministry of Defence, said at a briefing attended by GB News that there was: “No intent on the part of Iran to target the UK”.

That message itself came soon after Tehran fired ballistic missiles at the Chagos Islands, where the joint British-American installation at Diego Garcia is found.

An American ship successfully intercepted one of the strikes, whilst the other malfunctioned in flight and failed to reach its target.

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Ambassador Mousavi also expressed scepticism about the prospects for diplomatic engagement with Washington, citing a pattern of American attacks during active negotiations.

"So now we do not have any confidence," he told The Times.

"We do not have any mutual trust (in) Trump's administration again after going to have a dialogue with them and six months later they attacked us again."

The top diplomat outlined Tehran's preconditions for any peaceful resolution, insisting that Iran must first receive firm guarantees and assurances that military force would not be deployed against the Iranian people again

Despite the breakdown in trust, Mr Mousavi signalled that Iran remains open to discussing its nuclear programme.

The ambassador appeared to confirm that Iran's 400-kilogram stockpile of highly enriched uranium could form part of future negotiations.

"I do believe that, regarding this material, you see that everything, everything has been monitored and preserved by the Iranian relevant authorities," he said, adding that Iran was "ready to remove any concerns, any ambiguities" held by the international community.

Oman, which had been mediating recent discussions, indicated that Iran had been approaching an agreement on its nuclear programme that would have met Western requirements.

Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Mr Mousavi assured that Iran would swiftly restore safe passage for all vessels once hostilities permanently ended.