No to the US/Israeli War on Iran! Hands Off Iran!: British Government Must End All Support for the War on Iran
Source: http://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-26/ww26-07/ww26-07-02.htm
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:23
No to the US/Israeli War on Iran! Hands Off Iran!: British Government Must End
All Support for the War on Iran
Volume 56 Number 7, March 7,
2026
ARCHIVE
HOME
JBCENTRE
SUBSCRIBE
No to the US/Israeli War
on Iran! Hands Off Iran!
British
Government Must End All Support for the War on Iran
After the US/Israeli unprovoked attack on Iran on February 28, the anti-war
movement immediately launched emergency protests across the country in all the
major cities of Britain condemning the attack. Hundreds gathered outside
Parliament on the evening of February 28 as well as emergency protests over the
following days including Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and Cardiff
opposing the US-Israel strikes on Iran.
Central to these protests has been the condemnation of Britain's support for
yet another illegal war. The British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced
on Sunday and then on Monday in Parliament that he had accepted a US request to
use British military bases at home and abroad for "limited" and
"defensive purposes" to strike Iranian "storage depots or at
their launchers" [1]. At the rallies, speaker after speaker condemned
Starmer for announcing that he was allowing the US to use British bases in
Britain, the Middle East and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to attack Iran by
claiming that this was for "defensive purposes" for Britain. How can
taking part in an illegal war of aggression against Iran be
"defensive"? We must "protest this madness" and demand that
"our government takes no part whatsoever in and condemns the catastrophic
actions of the US and Israel against Iran". This was the theme of the
speeches.
The "launchers and missile depots" which Iran is using are for the
purpose of the life and death struggle that Iran is waging to defend itself and
its sovereignty against the barbaric bombing and assassination of its people,
its elected government and the religious leaders of the Islamic Republic. In
fact, by such a move, Britain is once again joining in these continued war
crimes of the US and Israel, and now with this announcement is launching
bombing attacks on Iran, killing its people and their leadership and causing
massive destruction. The claim that Britain is distinguishing between
"defensive" and "offensive" military action is a fraud, as
everyone can see.
On Monday, Starmer went on to try and claim to Parliament: "We have
learned from the mistakes of the past. We were not involved in the initial
strikes, and we will not join offensive US strikes. But in the face of Iran's
dangerous escalation, we will defend British nationals and support the
collective self-defence of our allies. That is our duty to the British
people." Not only is supporting this attack on a sovereign nation not
defending British nationals in the region but it is putting them in serious
harm alongside the Iranian people and people of the region by supporting the
US/Israeli unprovoked attack on Iran. In fact, no lessons have been learnt by
the government, or the cartel party system at Westminster. They have continued
their support for illegal interventions and wars. Neither can anyone with any
knowledge of the facts, or logic, dismiss Britain's involvement in the
US/Israeli initial strikes on Iran which Starmer denied. Over the last two
years Britain has given its full logistic and weapons support to Israel's
genocide against the Palestinians. This is further proven with the
unconscionable, outrageous and vindictive claim that with the sudden US/Israeli
attack on Iran during the ongoing negotiations between US and Iran that the war
was seen by Starmer as due to "Iran's dangerous escalation".
Any opposition of the cartel party system to Starmer's oral statement in
Parliament was minimal and mainly confined to whether the Prime Minister would
"commit to a vote in this House on any UK involvement in this war".
To which Starmer replied negatively to one MP, Dr Ellie Chowns, North
Herefordshire, Greens, saying that "we are not at war, and we are not
getting involved in offensive action that the US and Israel are taking. We have
published a summary of the legal advice in relation to the decision that we
took last night. That is in accordance with practice. It is not practice to
publish legal advice or summaries in relation to defensive action." In
other words, the system of police powers exercised by the executive, which in
no way reflects the will of the electorate, brooks no involvement in their
powers to wage war (as long as it is supposed to "defend" British
citizens, and perhaps Britain's "allies", and perhaps a number of
other fraudulent categories to cover over aggression).
The independent MP Jeremy Corbyn also asked the Prime Minister a question
saying; "Are we - this country - sharing information with the US to
further its war aims against Iran? Could we not instead adopt a stance of
trying to bring about an immediate ceasefire to prevent further dreadful loss
of life across every country in the whole region and the danger of this
escalating into a semi-global conflict?" [2] In his reply Starmer again
did not answer the question. He tried to claim that "the uses of the bases
are for the collective self-defence of our allies" (of which he includes
Israel and the US that has bases all over the Middle East - Ed.), whilst he
also claimed "that they were not using Cyprus for this purpose". This
is the base of Akrotiri in Cyprus that Britain has already used to supply
weapons to Israel and spy flights over Gaza to support Israel's genocide
against the Palestinians and the Anglo-US bombing of Yemen.
Zarah Sultana, Your Party MP for Coventry South, said: "US
congressional staff were told on Sunday that Iran was not planning to strike
American forces or bases unless Israel attacked Iran first. In other words,
there was no intelligence indicating an imminent threat. Yet we have already
seen 'pre-emptive' strikes attacking a girls' school, killing over 100
children. This has been condemned by UNESCO as a grave violation of
humanitarian law, yet the Prime Minister did not bother to mention it.
Continuing such actions is unlawful, and allowing them to take place from UK
bases is unlawful, so I ask the Prime Minister: is the genocide of the
Palestinian people not enough for this Labour Government? Is he proud to be
another Labour Prime Minister obediently following Washington into yet another
illegal war in the Middle East, making us all less safe? Finally, how much does
he enjoy being Donald Trump's poodle?" To which Starmer became even more
rattled, saying only, "I have set out the decisions I made over the
weekend and the reasons for them...."
HMS Dragon a Type 45 destroyer
On Thursday, March 5, Starmer also held a press conference [3] where he
claimed that Britain was providing "calm, level-headed leadership".
This "leadership" revealed itself as Britain's frantic military
preparations "to defend our interests sending, fighter jets, defence
missiles and drones to Cyprus". He then said that on Saturday, February
28, "we immediately put those jets into the sky flying over Cyprus and the
wider region" to "protect our people and our allies" and
"shooting down drones" and "responding to requests". He
said that Britain was now sending helicopters to Cyprus and
HMS Dragon
to the Mediterranean, and that "the Defence Secretary is on the ground in
Cyprus right now co-ordinating our work".
As
Workers' Weekly
reported earlier on February 7: "As we write,
the US warmonger Trump continues the dangerous US war escalation with military
build-up in the Middle East threatening Iran....This is the reality of the
crimes against peace by Trump and his allies. It is in fact now support for
Trump's lashing out with even more extreme violence, destruction and
obliteration of anything which stands in his way" [4]. At that time, when
Starmer was in China, he emphasised the nuclear pretext to justify Trump's
meetings with Netanyahu and their military build-up for this second attack on
Iran since June 12 last year. This can be compared with how Tony Blair had used
"weapons of mass destruction" as a pretext for the Anglo-US invasion
of Iraq in 2003.
However, Starmer, when asked this week by the BBC in a press conference
whether the government had properly prepared for dealing with a crisis of
thousands of British citizens stranded in the Middle East, only admitted they
were preparing with Britain's own military build-up. He said in answer that
they were "pre-deploying to the region particularly in January, February
and that they sent fighter jets, missiles and advanced radar to Cyprus in the
course of 8 or so weeks and that we did that in conjunction with the US and our
allies [Israel - Ed.]."
What is so noticeable is that in none of the Prime Minister's statements
this week has he opposed the US/Israeli illegal attack on Iran. He has only
tried to make the claim that "they did not join the initial strike".
Yet to claim that British fighter jets were immediately in the sky shooting
down Iranian drones rings really even more hollow. Now Starmer is agreeing that
the US can use British bases to attack Iran. At no time has he distanced the
government from the attack on the sovereignty of Iran and its government and
people, or the atrocities of the US and Israel in Iran. He has made Britain
complicit in these crimes against humanity.
The anti-war movement's demands are just. It demands that the government end
all support for the war on Iran. It demands that Britain support Iran in
exercising its right to self-defence against all those complicit in this attack
on their sovereignty, and demands that the US and Israel cease their attacks on
Iran and end their genocide against the Palestinian people.
Hands Off Iran!
Notes
1.
Hansard
- Middle East Volume 781: debated on Monday 2 March 2026
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-03-02/debates/C3BE6001-08B4-4DF8-8193-A4BFF0C57E9B/MiddleEast
2. On March 4, The Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn tabled a Presentation Bill on
titled
The Military Action (Parliamentary Approval) Bill
. The bill would
require MPs to exercise stronger oversight over how foreign states use UK
military bases.
3. Watch live: Keir Starmer's press conference on the situation in the Middle
East - March 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4oxTmy_Lrc
4. Hands Off Iran! Hands Off the Middle East! Free Palestine! -
Workers'
Weekly
February 7, 2026
https://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-26/ww26-03/ww26-03-01.htm
Link to Full Issue of Workers'
Weekly
RCPB(ML) Home Page
Workers' Weekly Online
Archive
All Support for the War on Iran
Volume 56 Number 7, March 7,
2026
ARCHIVE
HOME
JBCENTRE
SUBSCRIBE
No to the US/Israeli War
on Iran! Hands Off Iran!
British
Government Must End All Support for the War on Iran
After the US/Israeli unprovoked attack on Iran on February 28, the anti-war
movement immediately launched emergency protests across the country in all the
major cities of Britain condemning the attack. Hundreds gathered outside
Parliament on the evening of February 28 as well as emergency protests over the
following days including Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and Cardiff
opposing the US-Israel strikes on Iran.
Central to these protests has been the condemnation of Britain's support for
yet another illegal war. The British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced
on Sunday and then on Monday in Parliament that he had accepted a US request to
use British military bases at home and abroad for "limited" and
"defensive purposes" to strike Iranian "storage depots or at
their launchers" [1]. At the rallies, speaker after speaker condemned
Starmer for announcing that he was allowing the US to use British bases in
Britain, the Middle East and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to attack Iran by
claiming that this was for "defensive purposes" for Britain. How can
taking part in an illegal war of aggression against Iran be
"defensive"? We must "protest this madness" and demand that
"our government takes no part whatsoever in and condemns the catastrophic
actions of the US and Israel against Iran". This was the theme of the
speeches.
The "launchers and missile depots" which Iran is using are for the
purpose of the life and death struggle that Iran is waging to defend itself and
its sovereignty against the barbaric bombing and assassination of its people,
its elected government and the religious leaders of the Islamic Republic. In
fact, by such a move, Britain is once again joining in these continued war
crimes of the US and Israel, and now with this announcement is launching
bombing attacks on Iran, killing its people and their leadership and causing
massive destruction. The claim that Britain is distinguishing between
"defensive" and "offensive" military action is a fraud, as
everyone can see.
On Monday, Starmer went on to try and claim to Parliament: "We have
learned from the mistakes of the past. We were not involved in the initial
strikes, and we will not join offensive US strikes. But in the face of Iran's
dangerous escalation, we will defend British nationals and support the
collective self-defence of our allies. That is our duty to the British
people." Not only is supporting this attack on a sovereign nation not
defending British nationals in the region but it is putting them in serious
harm alongside the Iranian people and people of the region by supporting the
US/Israeli unprovoked attack on Iran. In fact, no lessons have been learnt by
the government, or the cartel party system at Westminster. They have continued
their support for illegal interventions and wars. Neither can anyone with any
knowledge of the facts, or logic, dismiss Britain's involvement in the
US/Israeli initial strikes on Iran which Starmer denied. Over the last two
years Britain has given its full logistic and weapons support to Israel's
genocide against the Palestinians. This is further proven with the
unconscionable, outrageous and vindictive claim that with the sudden US/Israeli
attack on Iran during the ongoing negotiations between US and Iran that the war
was seen by Starmer as due to "Iran's dangerous escalation".
Any opposition of the cartel party system to Starmer's oral statement in
Parliament was minimal and mainly confined to whether the Prime Minister would
"commit to a vote in this House on any UK involvement in this war".
To which Starmer replied negatively to one MP, Dr Ellie Chowns, North
Herefordshire, Greens, saying that "we are not at war, and we are not
getting involved in offensive action that the US and Israel are taking. We have
published a summary of the legal advice in relation to the decision that we
took last night. That is in accordance with practice. It is not practice to
publish legal advice or summaries in relation to defensive action." In
other words, the system of police powers exercised by the executive, which in
no way reflects the will of the electorate, brooks no involvement in their
powers to wage war (as long as it is supposed to "defend" British
citizens, and perhaps Britain's "allies", and perhaps a number of
other fraudulent categories to cover over aggression).
The independent MP Jeremy Corbyn also asked the Prime Minister a question
saying; "Are we - this country - sharing information with the US to
further its war aims against Iran? Could we not instead adopt a stance of
trying to bring about an immediate ceasefire to prevent further dreadful loss
of life across every country in the whole region and the danger of this
escalating into a semi-global conflict?" [2] In his reply Starmer again
did not answer the question. He tried to claim that "the uses of the bases
are for the collective self-defence of our allies" (of which he includes
Israel and the US that has bases all over the Middle East - Ed.), whilst he
also claimed "that they were not using Cyprus for this purpose". This
is the base of Akrotiri in Cyprus that Britain has already used to supply
weapons to Israel and spy flights over Gaza to support Israel's genocide
against the Palestinians and the Anglo-US bombing of Yemen.
Zarah Sultana, Your Party MP for Coventry South, said: "US
congressional staff were told on Sunday that Iran was not planning to strike
American forces or bases unless Israel attacked Iran first. In other words,
there was no intelligence indicating an imminent threat. Yet we have already
seen 'pre-emptive' strikes attacking a girls' school, killing over 100
children. This has been condemned by UNESCO as a grave violation of
humanitarian law, yet the Prime Minister did not bother to mention it.
Continuing such actions is unlawful, and allowing them to take place from UK
bases is unlawful, so I ask the Prime Minister: is the genocide of the
Palestinian people not enough for this Labour Government? Is he proud to be
another Labour Prime Minister obediently following Washington into yet another
illegal war in the Middle East, making us all less safe? Finally, how much does
he enjoy being Donald Trump's poodle?" To which Starmer became even more
rattled, saying only, "I have set out the decisions I made over the
weekend and the reasons for them...."
HMS Dragon a Type 45 destroyer
On Thursday, March 5, Starmer also held a press conference [3] where he
claimed that Britain was providing "calm, level-headed leadership".
This "leadership" revealed itself as Britain's frantic military
preparations "to defend our interests sending, fighter jets, defence
missiles and drones to Cyprus". He then said that on Saturday, February
28, "we immediately put those jets into the sky flying over Cyprus and the
wider region" to "protect our people and our allies" and
"shooting down drones" and "responding to requests". He
said that Britain was now sending helicopters to Cyprus and
HMS Dragon
to the Mediterranean, and that "the Defence Secretary is on the ground in
Cyprus right now co-ordinating our work".
As
Workers' Weekly
reported earlier on February 7: "As we write,
the US warmonger Trump continues the dangerous US war escalation with military
build-up in the Middle East threatening Iran....This is the reality of the
crimes against peace by Trump and his allies. It is in fact now support for
Trump's lashing out with even more extreme violence, destruction and
obliteration of anything which stands in his way" [4]. At that time, when
Starmer was in China, he emphasised the nuclear pretext to justify Trump's
meetings with Netanyahu and their military build-up for this second attack on
Iran since June 12 last year. This can be compared with how Tony Blair had used
"weapons of mass destruction" as a pretext for the Anglo-US invasion
of Iraq in 2003.
However, Starmer, when asked this week by the BBC in a press conference
whether the government had properly prepared for dealing with a crisis of
thousands of British citizens stranded in the Middle East, only admitted they
were preparing with Britain's own military build-up. He said in answer that
they were "pre-deploying to the region particularly in January, February
and that they sent fighter jets, missiles and advanced radar to Cyprus in the
course of 8 or so weeks and that we did that in conjunction with the US and our
allies [Israel - Ed.]."
What is so noticeable is that in none of the Prime Minister's statements
this week has he opposed the US/Israeli illegal attack on Iran. He has only
tried to make the claim that "they did not join the initial strike".
Yet to claim that British fighter jets were immediately in the sky shooting
down Iranian drones rings really even more hollow. Now Starmer is agreeing that
the US can use British bases to attack Iran. At no time has he distanced the
government from the attack on the sovereignty of Iran and its government and
people, or the atrocities of the US and Israel in Iran. He has made Britain
complicit in these crimes against humanity.
The anti-war movement's demands are just. It demands that the government end
all support for the war on Iran. It demands that Britain support Iran in
exercising its right to self-defence against all those complicit in this attack
on their sovereignty, and demands that the US and Israel cease their attacks on
Iran and end their genocide against the Palestinian people.
Hands Off Iran!
Notes
1.
Hansard
- Middle East Volume 781: debated on Monday 2 March 2026
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-03-02/debates/C3BE6001-08B4-4DF8-8193-A4BFF0C57E9B/MiddleEast
2. On March 4, The Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn tabled a Presentation Bill on
titled
The Military Action (Parliamentary Approval) Bill
. The bill would
require MPs to exercise stronger oversight over how foreign states use UK
military bases.
3. Watch live: Keir Starmer's press conference on the situation in the Middle
East - March 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4oxTmy_Lrc
4. Hands Off Iran! Hands Off the Middle East! Free Palestine! -
Workers'
Weekly
February 7, 2026
https://www.rcpbml.org.uk/wwie-26/ww26-03/ww26-03-01.htm
Link to Full Issue of Workers'
Weekly
RCPB(ML) Home Page
Workers' Weekly Online
Archive