Iran rejects “nonsense” UK claim about ‘defensive’ role in US/Israeli-led war

A senior Iranian official has said the Keir Starmer’s claim that the UK only has a ‘defensive role’ in the US-Israeli attack on the country is “nonsense”. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh called out the UK, saying US bombers flown from British bases had killed civilians and damaged civilian infrastructure.

ITV international editor Emma Murphy shared Khatibzadeh’s statement on 9 April:

Iran certainly doesn’t agree with the British government’s position that UK bases were only used by the US for defensive rather than offensive missions. Iran’s deputy foreign minister @SKhatibzadeh says some of the bombers which left from UK bases were on missions which led to… pic.twitter.com/paychYXf80

— Emma Murphy (@emmamurphyitv) April 9, 2026

He said:

The UK provided bases for B2 bomber to be used to kill Iranians, to kill kids, thousand of Iranian civilians and also civilian infrastructure.

It is nonsense that in a war the country says I am not part of this but I provide infrastructure to start offensive operations against another country. Then you are providing bases for that.

Adding:

And you know that B2 bomber [were] used to bomb hospitals, used to bomb schools, used to bomb, you know, the civilian infrastructure. It’s not some sort of propaganda from Iran, you can go and see one of the B2 bomber demolished four residential buildings.

Ten point plan and Iran

Iran also made clear that the original ten-point peace plans was the one they viewed as legitimate, despite US protests that it this was not the case.

Importantly, Iranian officials said an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon were a non-negotiable part of the deal. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on 9 April:

⚡️”Talks to end the war are conditional on U.S. adherence to ceasefire commitments across all fronts, especially in Lebanon,” spokesperson for the Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters today.

▫️ Esmaeil Baghaei, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, praised the “heroic… pic.twitter.com/ZdhfK0xZtc

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) April 9, 2026

And Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said on X:

The repeated aggression by the Zionist entity against Lebanon is a flagrant violation of the initial ceasefire agreement and a dangerous indicator of deceit and lack of commitment to potential accords. The continuation of these aggressions will render negotiations meaningless; our hands will remain on the trigger, and Iran will never abandon its Lebanese brothers and sisters.

إنّ اعتداء الكيان الصهيوني المتكرر على لبنان هو انتهاك صارخ لاتفاق وقف إطلاق النار الأولي ومؤشر خطير على الخداع وعدم الالتزام بالاتفاقات المحتملة. مواصلة هذه الاعتداءات سيجعل التفاوض بلا معنى؛ أيدينا ستبقى على الزناد، ولن تتخلّى إيران عن إخوتها وأخواتها اللبنانيين قطّ.

— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) April 9, 2026

US-Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.

The US has achieved none of its original war aims. Iran predictably closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil channel, once attacked – creating a global energy crisis. Far from being defeated, Iran has said the war will continue until “the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”. Trump came to power on an anti-war ‘America First’ ticket. He now faces worldwide humiliation.

Israel – and by extension the US – are already undermining the hard-won pause brokered by China and Pakistan. The US killed Iranians from UK bases. Starmer won’t own up, but the truth of the matter is evident to many.

Featured image via the Canary