US lands bomber at UK air base after warning of surge in strikes on Iran

A US bomber capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles has landed in the UK after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer approved "defensive" US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases.

Sir Keir had initially refused to grant permission for the US to use UK bases in its joint offensive with Israel against Iran, which caused a disagreement with President Donald Trump.

The arrival of the huge aircraft comes after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that strikes on Iran were "about to surge dramatically".

The 146ft (44.5m) B-1 Lancer arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening.

• Follow our live coverage on the conflict in the Middle East

Trump told journalists in the Oval Office earlier this week he was "not happy with the UK" over the decision, which led to US planes "flying many extra hours" to carry out strikes last weekend.

After granting the US permission to use RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, the prime minister told MPs the government "does not believe in regime change from the skies".

RAF Fairford, located on the border of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, has been used by the US in the past to conduct long-range heavy bombing missions.

The B-1 bomber weighs 86 tonnes and is the fastest bomber in the US Air Force, according to Boeing, hitting speeds of more than 900mph (1,448.4km/h).

Nicknamed "the Bone", the US bomber has advanced radar and GPS systems to help hit targets, and electronic jammers, radar warnings and a decoy system to protect it from enemies.

Military analyst and former British Army Officer Justin Crump said the B1-Lancer is "one of the most significant bombers in the world" and is capabable carrying large bomb loads a long way, quickly, if it needs to.

Crump, the CEO of private intelligence firm Sibylline, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that "shuttling from RAF Fairford is a lot more efficient" and "makes sense" for the US as the commute from the US to Iran and back is lengthy.

The war between Israel, the US and Iran entered its eighth day on Saturday.

Overnight, explosions rocked Tehran following Trump's assertion that there will be "no deal" with Iran except "unconditional surrender".

Elsewhere, the UK has also faced criticism over its response to drone attacks on the RAF's Akrotiri base in Cyprus.

Downing Street rejected suggestions the government failed to provide enough military assets in the Middle East after the base was hit.

Sir Keir told reporters on Thursday protective measures at the airbase have always been in place.

The drone strike on the British military base caused "minimal damage" and did not result in any casualties.

The British warship HMS Dragon - which has air defence capabilities - is being sent to Cyprus but will not sail until next week.

The Type 45 Destroyer had been earmarked to carry out a different mission - before Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Tuesday that HMS Dragon would be deployed to the Mediterranean region.

Two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters are separately expected to arrive in Cyprus sooner than the warship.

But speaking to BBC Breakfast, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: "They need to do more than that, they need to stop the missile sites, you need to go to the source."

Badenoch has stepped up her calls for the government to allow RAF to strike Iran's missile launch sites.

With the Gulf states, including Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, having been targeted by Iran in the conflict, Sir Keir spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday.

The prime minister assured the kingdom's de facto leader that the UK "stood ready to support the defence of the kingdom" if needed, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

The prime minister said "additional British fighter jets, helicopters and a destroyer were being sent to the region", the spokeswoman added.

The conflict in the Middle East has led to thousands of flights being cancelled in the past week, leaving many Britons stranded - but some flights have resumed.

A second government chartered flight to bring UK nationals home landed at Gatwick Airport at 00:30 GMT on Saturday. The flight departed from Oman's capital Muscat on Friday, the Foreign Office confirmed.

The first flight, which landed at Stansted Airport on Friday morning, was delayed by 24 hours following "technical issues".

And, airlines Etihad and Emirates have confirmed they will continue running a limited number of services from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to the UK over the next few days.

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