Britain considers giving military support to US if Trump joins Iran war
Britain is considering whether to provide military support to the US if Donald Trump decides to join Israel's war against Iran.
Sir Keir Starmer will lead a Cobra meeting in Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon with senior security officials and ministers to address the conflict in the Middle East.
Ministers are expected to discuss how to respond if the US president asks the UK for support in conducting strikes in Iran.
Britain shares the Diego Garcia air base in the Indian Ocean with the US, which could be used as a launchpad for any strikes against Tehran.
Stationed at the base are America's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, which carry so-called 'bunker-busting' bombs capable of destroying Iran's underground Fordo site.
It is believed that Donald Trump would have to ask Britain for permission to set off from the Indian Ocean air base with the bombs.
Sir Keir's high-level meeting follows his return from the G7 summit in Canada at which he and other world leaders reiterated their 'commitment to peace and stability' but stopped short of calling for a truce between Israel and Iran.
Reports have suggested the US president is considering joining Israeli action against Iran after he left the G7 summit a day early to meet with military chiefs.
It comes as Israel's air campaign against Iran entered its sixth day, with jets striking the Iranian capital Tehran overnight.
Israeli military chiefs said the air strikes targeted a facility used to make uranium centrifuges, part of Iran's nuclear programme, and a factory building missile components.
Tehran has accused Israel of attacking civilians, while US-based group Human Rights Activists said on Wednesday that Israeli bombardment had killed 585 people in Iran, including 239 civilians.
In response, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, killing at least 24 people.
But its response appeared to diminish on Tuesday night, with only 10 missiles intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome.
Trump: Khamenei is an easy target
Mr Trump is reported to be considering whether to deploy American forces in support of Israel's operations against Iran.
The US president met with top military advisers on Tuesday night to discuss the situation, shortly after a series of social media posts in which he described Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, as an 'easy target'.
He later posted the words 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER', prompting Khamenei to warn that any American military involvement would result in 'irreparable damage' to the US.
The posts followed Mr Trump's decision to leave the G7 conference in Canada a day early to deal with what he called 'big stuff', triggering speculation that American forces might join Israeli strikes.
Earlier, Sir Keir insisted Mr Trump was interested in de-escalation in the Middle East, saying 'nothing' he had heard from the president suggested Washington was poised to get involved.
Asked whether the Prime Minister was still confident that Mr Trump would not involve US forces in the conflict, a Number 10 spokesman said the UK's position was still that 'we want to de-escalate rather than escalate'.
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