Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemns decision, warns Britain will bear responsibility for facilitating US military action
A man holds a flag with a picture of late leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, late Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, during a rally in Tehran, Iran, April 29, 2026. Photo: Reuters/file
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Thursday that any British military base used by the United States to launch attacks against Tehran would become a “legitimate target”, while accusing London of playing a major role in recent US and Israeli military operations.
In a statement, the IRGC said the US had recently resorted to using B-1 bombers flying from RAF Fairford in England after warships operating in the Indian Ocean exhausted their stock of cruise missiles.
“Any base used for aggression against Iranian territory is a legitimate target for us,” the IRGC said.
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It warned Britain “not to further worsen its record”, accusing London of being “a principal architect of instability” in the Middle East, saying it had played one of the largest roles in the recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The force earlier said that it had struck a US electronic warfare unit at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar and damaged the facility’s air traffic control tower.
The IRGC also accused Washington of seeking to use calls for renewed negotiations to buy time to replenish its military capabilities before resuming attacks, saying Tehran would not allow the US to benefit from what it described as “deceptive ceasefires”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry, in its statement, strongly condemned Britain’s decision to allow the US to use British military bases and facilities to carry out attacks against Tehran, warning that any country assisting military action against the country would be responsible for the consequences.
In a statement, the ministry said London’s decision to provide military bases and logistical support for what it described as Washington’s “illegal” attacks violated the UN Charter and international law.
The ministry argued that Britain’s move constituted “an act of aggression” under Article 3(f) of UN General Assembly Resolution 3314, which defines aggression to include allowing a state’s territory to be used by another state to carry out attacks against a third country.
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It said British policymakers were fully aware that the US military campaign against Iran, launched with the participation of Israel, amounted to a “blatant act of aggression” and that any assistance in preparing or carrying out such operations would “constitute complicity in the crime of aggression and war crimes”.
The ministry criticised Britain, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, for supporting what it called the aggressor states instead of condemning the attacks, saying the decision undermined London’s stated commitment to the rule of law, human rights, and international peace and security.
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham had authorised the US to use certain bases for operations against Iran.
According to the outlet, the arrangement allowed US forces to use the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in England to support attacks against Iran.
Iran accused Britain of a long history of interference in Iran, citing a 1953 coup, support for Iraq during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, sanctions imposed over Tehran’s nuclear programme, support for efforts to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism and its recent designation of the IRGC.
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“Iran is determined to defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests against foreign aggression, and any party that participates in military aggression against Iran in any way will bear responsibility for the consequences of its decision,” the ministry said.
Regional tensions have remained high since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran in February. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US military assets across the Gulf.
Although the two sides signed a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding last month to end the conflict, tensions escalated again last week over the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a new exchange of strikes and renewed US threats of military action against Iran.
