The United States and Israel began attacking Iran early Saturday, with Trump encouraging the Iranian people to remove the country's government.
The Iranian regime has responded with attacks on U.S. assets and countries in the region where there is a U.S. military presence, including Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq.
Sir Keir had said British planes were “in the skies” in the Middle East as part of a defensive operation to protect its allies and citizens in the region, but said the UK “played no role” in the strikes.
On Sunday he said British planes had successfully intercepted Iranian strikes, but added: “Our Gulf partners have asked us to do more to defend them and it is my duty to protect British lives.”
He began his statement by saying it “remains true” that the UK was “not involved in the strikes against Iran”.
At least 200,000 British citizens are in the region – including residents, holidaymakers and transit passengers, Sir Keir said – and the Government “will continue to do everything we can to support them”.
Britons, including members of the armed forces, as well as their allies, are at “huge risk” from Iranian strikes, he said, accusing the regime of “becoming even more reckless”.
The Iranian strikes have “hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying”, and on Saturday “hit a military base in Bahrain, narrowly missing British personnel”, Sir Keir said.
He added: “The only way to end the threat is to destroy the missiles at the source, in their storage depots, or the launchers used to fire the missiles.
“The United States has requested permission to use British bases for specific and limited defensive purposes.
“We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran from firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that were not involved.”
The Foreign Office has asked British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, the Palestinian territories, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to register their presence to receive updates.
