UK ‘Not At War,’ Starmer Says After Iranian Drone Hits Cyprus Base

An Iranian drone struck the runway of a United Kingdom air force base in Cyprus on Monday, just hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would not join the ongoing United States-Israeli military action against Iran.

Starmer had earlier stressed that lessons from the Iraq war had been learned, describing the UK’s decision not to participate in the initial strikes as “deliberate.”

Late Sunday, he confirmed that Britain had, however, granted the United States limited access to its bases for what he described as a “specific and limited defensive purpose.”

On Monday, the UK’s Middle East Minister, Hamish Falconer, clarified that Britain was not engaged in war.

“Let me be really clear: the UK took a deliberate decision not to be part of the first wave of strikes conducted by the United States and Israeli governments,” he said.

“But in the face of reckless attacks from Iran on a whole range of allies in the region… we took the decision, as the Prime Minister announced last night, to support the US’s request to use our bases in order to conduct defensive actions,” he added.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper , disclosed that the strike targeted the runway of the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri and caused minor damage. She said the government was exploring “every possible option” to assist British nationals in the region who may wish to return home.

“There’s an estimated 300,000 British citizens in Gulf countries that have now been targeted by Iran, including countries where now airspace is closed,” she told Sky News.

She urged British citizens in affected countries to register with UK authorities and comply with local safety advisories.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, confirmed that the incident occurred shortly after midnight, when a Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into military facilities at the British base in Akrotiri, causing minor material damage.

The RAF Akrotiri is a British Overseas Territory located near the southern Cypriot city of Limassol and serves as a key military installation for UK operations in the Middle East.

According to Cooper, more than 100,000 UK nationals have so far registered their presence across the Middle East.

In Dubai, Scottish teacher Felicity Flanagan said she had been staying indoors since Saturday after hearing loud explosions while at the beach with friends.

“Moments later, we actually saw what we believed to be shrapnel from the missile then fall into the water in front of us,” she told BBC Radio Scotland.

She added that she was complying with British embassy guidance to remain indoors.

Speaking before news of the strike on the Cyprus base broke, Starmer reiterated that the UK would not take part in offensive operations.

“I want to be very clear: we all remember the mistakes of Iraq. And we have learned those lessons,” he said in a video posted on X.

“We were not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and we will not join offensive action now,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rosa Freedman, a professor of international law and conflict at the University of Reading, said the current tensions differ significantly from the 2003 Iraq war.

She noted that the hostilities form part of a wider regional crisis following the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and ongoing concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.

“The Iranian people have tried for many years to overthrow this regime, including tens of thousands of young people being slaughtered in the streets over recent weeks. Regime change needs to happen for domestic and international stability and security,” she said.