The US has been pressuring Iran to agree to curb its nuclear programme.
It has threatened potential strikes if it fails to accomplish that and has moved warships, plane and different army belongings to the area in preparation for a potential strike.
At the identical time, some progress has been reported at talks between American and Iranian negotiators in Switzerland.
On Thursday, Trump said the world would find out “over the next, probably, 10 days” whether or not the US would attain a cope with Iran or take army motion.
A UK authorities spokesperson mentioned: “There is a political process ongoing between the US and Iran, which the UK supports.
“Iran mustn’t ever find a way to develop a nuclear weapon, and our precedence is safety within the area.”
Sir Keir spoke to Trump over the phone on Tuesday, after the US government gave its formal support for the Chagos deal.
The Times reports that the pair discussed Trump’s ultimatum to Iran over its nuclear programme, and Trump made his statement attacking the Chagos deal the next day.
Insiders believe the Pentagon’s preparations for possible strikes on Iran – which could potentially be launched from Diego Garcia – may have shifted the president’s understanding of the significance of the island, the largest in the Chagos archipelago.
Trump referenced this in his Truth Social post, saying: “Should Iran resolve not to make a deal, it could be vital for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the [RAF] Airfield location in Fairford [Gloucestershire], so as to eradicate a possible assault by a extremely unstable and harmful regime.”
Neither RAF Fairford nor Diego Garcia were used in the US strikes carried out last year on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
At the time a senior UK defence source said Washington had not sought permission.
RAF Fairford and other UK military bases were most recently used by the US in support of a military operation to seize the registered tanker known as Bella 1 earlier this year.
But that operation was carried out with the full support of the UK. At the time ministers said the operation was justified under international law.
Questions of international law would likely be applied by the UK government in justifying support for any US military action in Iran.
Under a long-held agreement, the US would have to first request to use any UK sovereign military bases before conducting military operations.
Under international law, there is no distinction between a state carrying out the attack and those which have supported that state, if the latter has “information of the circumstances of the internationally wrongful act”.
In January, the BBC’s political editor Chris Mason asked Sir Keir whether he supported a potential US strike on Iran.
At the time, the prime minister replied he was talking to allies about how to prevent Iran from developing nuclear activities and killing protesters.
“The goal right here is that Iran should not find a way to develop nuclear weapons. That’s vastly essential,” he mentioned.
“And in fact we’d like to cope with the truth that they’re repressing protesters, killing protesters. It’s grotesque what is occurring. And in order that’s the place our focus is and we’re working with allies to that finish.”
Reacting to the latest developments, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, a long-standing Trump critic, said: “It’s now clear Donald Trump is making an attempt to bully the federal government into letting the US use UK bases like Diego Garcia to pursue unilateral army motion.
“Keir Starmer needs to stand strong and give Parliament a vote on the use of UK bases by US forces.”
