Britain rejects US request to use UK bases in Iran nuclear stand off.

An interesting article about the potential for war in Iran, but Britain has highlighted sme serious international legal issues concerning any prememtive strike on Iran.

Britain has rebuffed US pleas to use military bases in the UK to support the build-up of forces in the Gulf, citing secret legal advice which states that any pre-emptive strike on Iran could be in breach of international law. The Guardian has been told that US diplomats have also lobbied for the use of British bases in Cyprus, and for permission to fly from US bases on Ascension Island in the Atlantic and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, both of which are British territories. The US approaches are part of contingency planning over the nuclear standoff with Tehran, but British ministers have so far reacted coolly. They have pointed US officials to legal advice drafted by the attorney general's office which has been circulated to Downing Street, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence.

www.guardian.co.uk...

Nice to see the British government playing by international law for a change. I wonder how important the UKs bases would be. I'm pretty sure there won't be any welcome for bombers at UK bases.

With all the bases the US has in the ME why would we need to use other countries bases? Sounds more like we are trying to secure bases for somebody else to use.

This is a massive change in direction for Cameron turning the USA down for support from the UK bases, as as you good people have said the UK has not played by UN or war rules for years, look Libya and Iraq the UK broke every rule in the book with those attacks.
However with the Iran situation the UK have seen Russia lurking in the background and over the last few months Russia has been under the sea very close to our UK Nuclear sub bases in Scotland, so they would be knocked out long before we could hit back if we hit Iran.
Russia have subs that our Radar cannot pick up, they inturn have got our sub signatures from engines, that is a big problem.
If the USA attack Iran, and I feel they wont dare, it will be a failed attack because American equipment to damage Iran wont get through Russian defenses installed in Iran, they are years ahead of America.

reply to post by Alternative4u

Russia have subs that our Radar cannot pick up,

Have they?
What subs?
Sources?

If the USA attack Iran, and I feel they wont dare, it will be a failed attack because American equipment to damage Iran wont get through Russian defenses installed in Iran, they are years ahead of America.

What defences?
Sources?

Give it a couple of weeks and when nobody is looking they will quetly let them do it anyway. This is Government remember, say one thing, do the opposite.

I feel now that we are getting very close to a major conflict between Russia & America, the USA & UK prevented Russian ships taking parts to Syria, but by the back door the UK & America are helping to attack Russian friends, this mark my word is not good for future peace, see the link below?
rt.com...

Surely not another Iran War thread.

I am suspicious that the Guardian has very little concrete evidence to back this up, so one can conclude that any approaches (if there has been such) would be fairly routine "sounding out", rather than formal. Therefore methinks this is not really a story and the Guardian is just trying to fill the empty hours with some type.

I have been trying to work out why the US would want to use of Ascension which is 5,000 miles and a continent away. I am sure that if push came to shove the US could rustle up some bases nearer to Iran.

Deep down, only the diehard war mongering arm chair types still think a war is imminent. All evidence suggests the reverse is true. Iran will be left to fall to pieces from the inside, just like their pals in Syria. Why disrupt evolution with a war?

Regards

reply to post by Alternative4u


actually it is Russia that will never engage if the US is committed. they bluster and threaten and at the end of the day they are aware of the missiles that surround them,the overall technology and might of the US and will take a pass. Just compare their reaction to Turkey, US and UK compared to the rhetoric. they talk like a lion and scatter like a kitten.


On topic- didn't one of our F111's "accidentally" drop ordinance on the French Embassy in Libya after being denied flyover status? look out UK...

reply to post by Alternative4u


Don't know how old you are but by the sounds of things you weren't around during The Cold War?

If you were then you'd know that the USA and Russia have an exceptionally warm and loving relationship today when compared with then.

They never directly went to war with each other then and I'd be absolutely amazed if they did today over Syria or Iran.

Russia and the USA will never be the best of buddies but they've learnt to live with and accomodate each other - and despite the political rhetoric they share many goals - they've just got to be seen to be opposing each other.