U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a frequent critic of U.S. foreign policy, announced that his government had granted the U.S. permission to use U.K. military installations as a base for ongoing attacks against Iran. 

In remarks posted to social media, Starmer said that while he continued to oppose the use of military force to achieve Western aims in Iran, he had granted access to British based for what he called “defensive strikes” against Iranian missile sites that could be used to attack U.K. allies in the region. 

But the prime minister also said his country had “learned from the mistakes of Iraq,” where the U.K. played a leading role in toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein. He said British forces were not involved in the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes Saturday morning and had no plans to join the offensive against Tehran – amid decades of oppressive, authoritarian rule and pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

British media reports said the bases in question are likely to be the Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire and the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean. 

Starmer’s remarks come amid domestic political turmoil that has eroded support levels for his 18-month-old government.

Starmer was also one of three European leaders – joining French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz – to sign a joint statement condemning the attacks and calling for stronger diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.