'Simply not true' UK is being dragged into war, says country's foreign secretary

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The UK is not being drawn into another Iraq-style war in the Middle East, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Monday, after an RAF base in the Greek Cypriot Administration was struck by an Iranian drone.

The attack came amid a wave of strikes by Tehran across the region following joint US-Israeli strikes on Saturday that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

“That’s simply not true,” she told Sky News on Monday.

“We took a very specific decision not to provide support for strikes that were taking place over this weekend. We have been clear that we believe there should be a diplomatic process, a negotiation process.”

Iranian missiles and drones have caused damage and casualties across the Gulf region, as well as in Israel.

Cooper said the UK had to "recognize responsibilities we have around defensive support.”

“This is about the defense of our partners in the Gulf and the defense of countries where we have so many British citizens and interests in those countries,” she said.

“It’s a specific, limited agreement about the defense of Gulf countries, and many of those Gulf countries were not involved in any of the strikes on Iran.

“So, for example, it doesn’t mean political and economic and infrastructure targets, but there is a significant issue about ballistic missiles and launchers that were effectively pointed at the Gulf, pointed at our partner countries, and countries where we have so many British citizens.”

Ministers are now considering contingency plans to evacuate around 300,000 British nationals from the region, Cooper confirmed.

The UK had no involvement in the initial US-Israeli strikes.

However, in a statement late on Sunday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had agreed to allow the US to use British military bases to target Iranian missile sites, with the aim of limiting the impact of retaliatory Iranian attacks.

The decision has prompted concern among some opposition parties. The Liberal Democrats have called for the move to be put to a vote in parliament.

When asked if the UK risked being drawn into an escalating conflict at the request of US President Donald Trump, Cooper declined.