Newly sworn-in British Prime Minister Andy Burnham approved the use of British bases for attacks by the United States against Iran, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
The decision, which follows a similar policy established by Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, qualifies the strikes as "defensive" rather than an active war, Bloomberg noted.
The report also mentioned that, according to sources, Starmer led a meeting with senior ministers and officials on Friday to discuss the UK's policy towards the war.
No official statement was made by Burnham's office regarding this decision.
This comes as the war with Iran intensifies, with US President Donald Trump warning on Tuesday that the Iranian nuclear site in Pickaxe Mountain could become a target if a diplomatic resolution wasn't reached.
Iran threatens US assets as Gulf states fear escalation
Iran’s top military commander, Khatem al-Anbia, on Tuesday threatened that US and allied assets across the region would be targeted if Washington struck the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities, state television reported.
Amid heightened regional tensions, Arab Gulf states are pressuring the US to ensure that Israel does not resume attacks on Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. They fear that an Israeli attack could prompt Tehran to retaliate against their energy infrastructure and make it more difficult for them to intervene if necessary.
Regional mediators have also warned that Israeli involvement would make it significantly more difficult to persuade the IRGC to return to negotiations.
The US and Israel have also been in discussions to allow additional US military refueling planes to be stationed at Ben-Gurion airport amid the recent escalation.
With the proposed fleet set to reach 40 aircraft, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, the directors general of the Transportation Ministry and the Israel Airports Authority, and other officials are seeking a solution that would avoid disrupting civilian flights. Allowing the additional refueling aircraft to be parked at the airport would require 30 flights a day to be canceled beginning August 1, N12 reported.
Esther Davis contributed to this report.