‘No clear clarification’: Cyprus slams UK over colonial military base

The government of Cyprus has slammed the UK for failing to respect its humanitarian commitments. Iran – or one of its allies – allegedly hit RAF Akrotiri with a drone on 2 March 2026.

There no casualties. Yet the UK is clearly being pulled deeper into the illegal US-Israeli war against Iran – and Cyprus with it.

Government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on 3 March:

Despite the assurances given in yesterday’s address by the prime minister of the United Kingdom, there was no clear clarification that the British bases in Cyprus would not under any circumstances be used for any reason other than humanitarian.

Adding:

The information we had, through many communications and at various levels, was clear, that the British bases would have a strictly humanitarian role.

Cyprus shows Britain is at war

UK PM Keir Starmer effectively announced to parliament on 2 March that the UK would be a party to the war. He tried to insist the UK’s role would be defensive – but said the US would use British bases to hit Iran.

The UK has two bases in Cyprus at Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Britain has used the bases to launch hundreds of spy flights over Gaza over the course of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians.

Letymbiotis said the UK had failed to take into account Cyprus’s wish to be a humanitarian hub. He added that the UK had communicated poorly:

The message we send in every direction, not only rhetorically but through our actions over decades, is that the Republic of Cyprus is a humanitarian hub.

There was no timely information residing in the areas adjacent to the bases.

Middle East Eye reported:

Letymbiotis refused to rule out Cyprus requesting a renegotiation of the status and operating conditions of British bases.

Meanwhile, a former UK ambassador to Iran has said the UK has made itself a legitimate target.

Legitimate targets

Sir Richard Dalton told Declassified UK that British assets in the region were now legitimate targets of Iran.

The regional power:

will not distinguish [between] attacks to its missiles and other wider attacks on its political, military and economic institutions and leaders.

They will say that these are attacks facilitated by Britain on Iran as part of the United States campaign to destroy the Islamic Republic.

You can watch the full interview here:

The UK is pulling itself deeper into the mire of a Middle East war. And in doing so its colonial relationship with Cyprus – already badly shaken by the UK’s role in Israel genocide – has become even more precarious. As the war intensifies across the region, things are likely to get even worse for the eternally flip-flopping UK PM.

Featured image via the Canary