Refusing Trump, protecting Tehran
Keir Starmer's double standards in international law, Diego Garcia, and US confrontation of Iran
Keir Starmer’s administration has refused a United States request to use British territory to base attacks against Iran.
Starmer’s refusal explains why Donald Trump revived his on/off criticisms of Starmer’s plan to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, including Diego Garcia – one of the bases that the US wants to use. On Wednesday, the same day Starmer personally refused permission, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Prime minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island… This land should not be taken away from the UK and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally… DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!“
Starmer contrives the same justification for both transferring the Chagos Islands and refusing permission for the US to use those same islands as a base for attacking Iran.
Yep, international law is Starmer’s excuse to transfer sovereign British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) to an ally of China, and to deny an ally of Britain any use of the same BIOT to encourage Iran to comply with its international obligations to de-weaponize its nuclear programme.
In fewer words, Starmer’s administration is using ridiculously contrived interpretations of international law to reward an adversary and thwart an ally.
Starmer is cherry-picking some international obligations over others, just as he cherry-picked human rights law to persecute British military personnel even when they followed rules of engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Never mind that Iran is non-compliant, Mauritius is non-compliant, and China is non-compliant. Further, China smuggles Iranian oil in defiance of international sanctions – the proceeds from which Iran uses to further its nuclear program!
Starmer’s administration has already been caught protecting Iran from public criticism, by covering up Iranian kidnappings and other covert actions inside Britain. Just this weekend, the Metropolitan Police (which protects Islamist protests of every other stripe) literally forbade protesters against the theocratic regime from making any noise!
Britain’s protection of Iran is eerily similar to its pandering to China.
Moreover, Starmer is taking a stand against a war in 2026 that has effectively been ongoing since June 2025. At the least, the war of June 2025 remains unresolved.
Indeed, the US needs British help more than ever, given that the US wants to keep Israel out of it this time – precisely what Starmer said he wanted in June 2025!
Let’s remind ourselves of the justifications for that war, and how serious that war is.
Most Western governments suggest that Iran has accelerated enrichment of uranium (closer towards weapon-grade uranium). Such enrichment has no justification in civilian energy production, or in the international law that covers nuclear energy, or in the agreements that Iran reached with the EU and US in the 2000s and since.
Such intelligence justified US and Israeli air strikes in 2025.
The US followed up with big bombers, after Israel launched smaller manned aircraft, swarms of small unmanned systems already hidden inside Iran, and human agents.
Israeli air strikes started on June 13, targeting the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, the residences of senior military officials and civilian scientists, and (to enable these strikes) air defences and logistics, and (to pre-empt retaliation) ballistic missile sites.
Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles and drones. Some breached Israeli defenses. The most valuable economic target to be hit is the Haifa oil refinery.
Most Iranian attacks were intercepted by Israeli- and US-manufactured missiles - some deployed under US ownership, control, and operators.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested U.S. “bunker buster” munitions against Iran’s underground facilities. On June 22, US planes struck the enrichment plants at Natanz and Fordow, and the conversion facilities at Isfahan. Iran retaliated on June 23 by launching ballistic missiles at the U.S. Air Base in Al Udeid, Qatar. Hours later, Trump announced a ceasefire effective June 24. Both sides exchanged final salvos but thereafter complied.
This was war, from everybody’s perspective.
Commentators ended up labelling it the “12 day war.” Iran denounced the first strikes as a “declaration of war,” and declared a war of retaliation. President Trump notified Congress of US attacks under the War Powers Resolution. Israel justified its attacks as preventive war – a “last-resort effort” to halt Iran’s weaponization.
However, IAEA officials estimated the halt lasted only months.
Trump warned of further U.S. strikes if Iran resumed enrichment.
He warned this explicitly on the day of the ceasefire last year, and posted another warning on 18 January this year. “A massive Armada is heading to Iran…Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS, one that is good for all parties.”
The US plan to degrade Iran in 2026 is different than in 2025 in its intent to keep Israel defensive, in order to avoid the repercussions from nominal allies elsewhere in the region, particularly those committed to the US Board of Peace, which Trump hopes will administer and keep the peace in Gaza.
Without Israeli planes, drones, and agents leading the way, the US needs to commit more aircraft, most of which are based further away than Israel’s.
This is why British territory becomes more important.
