Burnham's First Test: Tehran Calls UK Base Decision an 'Act of Aggression'
Iran's foreign ministry says London has made itself an accomplice by letting US bombers fly from British soil, invoking the UN's own definition of aggression
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Britain’s decision to allow the United States to use UK military bases and facilities in preparing and carrying out strikes against Iran, calling the move a violation of the UN Charter and international law.
British policymakers were fully aware, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, that the ongoing US strikes — launched with Israeli participation — constitute a clear act of aggression and a gross violation of the founding principles of the UN Charter, and had nonetheless chosen to join them. The decision, it said, runs contrary to the fundamental rules of the Charter and, under paragraph (f) of Article 3 of UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 on the Definition of Aggression, “constitutes an act of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
‘Degraded to the position of an accomplice’
The ministry reserved particular criticism for Britain’s standing as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Rather than fulfilling its legal and moral responsibility to condemn the military aggression and war crimes committed against Iran, it said, London had aligned itself with the aggressors and “degraded its position to that of an accomplice in their war against the Iranian nation” — a decision that further undermines British claims to uphold the rule of law, human rights, and international peace and security.
The statement set the move against a long history of British involvement in Iranian affairs, citing the coup of 19 August 1953, full-scale support for Saddam Hussein’s regime during the imposed war, the imposition of sanctions over the nuclear issue, complicity with Washington in the “snapback” mechanism, and the recent designation of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
Iran, the ministry said, is determined to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security against any aggression, warning that “any party that in any way participates in the military aggression against Iran will be responsible for the consequences and repercussions of its own decision.”
A decision inherited, then endorsed
According to a Bloomberg report, Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, has agreed to let the United States continue using UK territory for strikes on Iran — meaning bases such as RAF Fairford and the Diego Garcia naval facility in the Indian Ocean are likely to feature in the current round of attacks.
The report said former prime minister Keir Starmer, in his final hours at Downing Street, chaired a meeting on British policy following seven days of renewed US bombardment of Iran, at which ministers decided to maintain the existing arrangement covering the use of UK bases. Burnham was briefed on that decision and appears to have accepted it, despite the risk of angering anti-war supporters within his own party.
Some Labour MPs, along with members of the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats, have argued that allowing US forces to operate from British bases makes the United Kingdom complicit in war crimes.
Reference: PressTv