AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Reports published in British publications, including The Telegraph, have revealed new pressure from the U.S. administration on the cabinet of Andy Burnham, Britain's newly appointed Prime Minister, to maintain access to the country's strategic military bases. According to these reports, Donald Trump, in his first diplomatic contacts with Burnham, emphasized the necessity of maintaining U.S. forces' access to the RAF Fairford (southwest England) and Diego Garcia (Indian Ocean) bases.
These diplomatic-military maneuvers come as the U.S. military aggression campaign against Iran continues. Analysts believe Washington is trying, by pressuring the new London government, to prevent any disruption to its military operations that require logistical and air support from British soil or territories under its control.
It is worth noting that during Keir Starmer's premiership, the British government initially opposed the U.S. military's use of the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands for B2 bomber flights; however, subsequent pressures led London to moderate its position and issue permission to use this base under the pretext of "defensive operations"; a permit that practically paved the way for Washington's attacks.
Now it remains to be seen whether Andy Burnham's government will follow the previous government's path in meeting the needs of the American war machine or will adopt a different stance in the face of mounting White House pressure. Field reports indicate that Washington considers these bases not only for logistics but as vital components in the military aggression strategy against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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