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| Britain |
| UK denies US access to bases for Gulf buildup |
| 2012-10-26 |
| The British government rejected U.S. requests to use military bases in the United Kingdom as part of a build-up in the Gulf, citing legal concerns that a pre-emptive strike on Iran would violate international law, The Guardian reported. Citing unnamed U.K. officials, the Guardian reported that the United States has made informal requests for access to British bases in Cypress and British territories in the Atlantic and Indian oceans as part of contingency planning for Iran. But British ministers have responded with legal advice from the U.K. attorney general's office that says Iran does not currently represent "a clear and present danger." As a result, providing assistance to U.S. forces potentially involved in a strike on Iran would violate international law, according to the Guardian. "The UK would be in breach of international law if it facilitated what amounted to a pre-emptive strike on Iran," said a British defense official. "It is explicit. The government has been using this to push back against the Americans." The B.O. regime has not made a formal request to the British government for military access. U.K. officials said they did not believe there was any movement toward a conflict, but that the United States was exploring the "British position" on the use of bases. Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to request for comment on the report. A U.S. State Department official told the Guardian: "The U.S. and the U.K. co-ordinate on all kinds of subjects all the time, on a huge range of issues. We never speak on the record about these types of conversations." The B.O. regime says it wants a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear dispute, although President B.O. has said he will not rule out using military force to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. |
| Posted by:Au Auric |
| #4 Methinks the Brits think they'll be biting off more than they can chew iff post-strike Iran orders its MilTerr proxies to initiate TerrOps agz Israel + the US-NATO, its poor Domestic economy, Falklands + the Scottish independence referendum come 2014. Lets also not fergit China-vs-Japan,ASEAN in ECS + SCS, of which no one can doubt Diego Garcia will be a de facto target for the PLA. London may stay for Afghanistan or AFPAK, but its "no" or "hell no" per Iran. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-10-26 22:24 |
| #3 I doubt Diego Garcia is the problem, the US leases it, so presumably wouldn't need permission. I'd guess the UK's sovereign bases on Cyprus are the issue, where the US doesn't have combat planes based. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2012-10-26 17:54 |
| #2 No Diego Garcia? Gonna be some tired pilots but theyll manage. |
| Posted by: Rjschwarz 2012-10-26 14:26 |
| #1 That is what you get for alienating our closest ally and sending back the bust of Churchill, Obama. Your arrogance and incompetence has made this world a much more dangerous place. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2012-10-26 11:33 |