UK Prime Minister Starmer announces additional fighter jets to be sent to Qatar

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a press conference at his office in London regarding developments in Iran and the Middle East. Stating that the UK's position on Iran has been in favor of an agreement aimed at getting Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, and that for this reason, the UK decided not to participate in the initial US and Israeli strikes, Starmer said, "This decision was made consciously, it was in line with our national interests, and I stand by it. However, the situation changed when Iran began targeting countries around the Gulf and the wider region. Iran launched drones and missiles at ten countries that had not attacked it."

Expressing that their primary priority is the protection of British citizens, Starmer said, "For this reason, we had already deployed our additional military capabilities to the region long before the action by the US and Israel to defend our interests."

Stating that they had been transporting defense assets to the Republic of Cyprus and Qatar throughout January and February, Starmer said, "Fighter jets, air defense missiles, advanced radar, and anti-drone systems. Thus, we reached a high level of readiness before any conflict began. When the attacks started on Saturday, we immediately scrambled these jets to protect our people and our allies in the region."

The UK Prime Minister stated, "Our jets flew over Cyprus and the wider region and shot down a large number of drones. At least one of these was heading toward a base where British military personnel were located. Our jets were also in the air over Jordan, Qatar, and our other partners last night."

"We are sending four additional Typhoon jets to join our fleet in Qatar"

Stating that the UK is also responding to requests for additional aid from its allies in the region, Starmer said, "We are sending four additional Typhoon jets to join our fleet in Qatar. This will strengthen our defense operations in Qatar and across the region. Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities are arriving in Cyprus tomorrow. The Defense Secretary is currently in Cyprus coordinating our efforts and meeting with our personnel."

Highlighting that the British warship HMS Dragon will also be deployed to the Mediterranean, Starmer said, "We have allowed the US to use British bases for defense operations aimed at neutralizing missiles launched at our people and our allies. We will maintain this shield over British citizens and our allies in the region. We are working to strengthen it every day."

Stating that the UK has also carried out an evacuation operation for its citizens from high-risk areas that is many times larger than the evacuation from Afghanistan, Starmer said, "As of today, more than 140 thousand people in the region have registered with the system. This allows us to provide them with the information and support they need."

"We continue to strengthen our capacity"

Responding to criticism that the UK was caught unprepared for the crisis during the press conference, Starmer said, "In January and February, we began pre-positioning in the region, especially in Cyprus and Qatar. This deployment included fighter jets, air defense missiles, advanced radar systems, and anti-drone systems. We did this over an eight-week period. We carried this out with the US and our allies, and we continue to strengthen our capacity there."

He announced that the US is using British bases for the attacks

Responding to a question about the UK's role in operations against Iran, Starmer replied, "The US is using our bases to carry out strikes aimed at eliminating Iran's offensive capabilities. This is our current arrangement and understanding."

"De-escalation is necessary"

In response to a question about how long the war will last, Starmer said, "We are doing everything we can to de-escalate. I cannot give a timeline for this. I don't think anyone can. My view is that de-escalation is necessary. Ultimately, on some fundamental issues, especially regarding nuclear capacity, this will be resolved through negotiation."

Regarding a question about US President Donald Trump's criticism that he has "ruined the special relationship" between the US and the UK, Starmer stated, "The special relationship is effectively working right now. We are working with the Americans on deployments made through our bases. We are working together in the region. The US and the UK are working together at joint bases to protect both Americans and British personnel. Furthermore, we are sharing intelligence 24 hours a day, as always. That is what the special relationship is."