Situation in the Middle East - an Update

Hundreds of thousands of British nationals live or are currently on holiday in the Middle East. Iran’s reckless attacks pose significant risks to our military bases and British service personnel, British nationals currently taking shelter in their hotels, holiday resorts and homes, and our regional allies.

We were not involved with the strikes on Iran, as we believe that the best way forward for the region and the world is a negotiated settlement in which Iran agrees to give up any aspirations to develop a nuclear weapon. But Iran’s strikes are posing a threat to British nationals and our regional allies regardless – and those partners in the Gulf have asked us to do more to defend them.

The United States has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose. We have taken the decision to accept this request – to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk, and hitting countries that have not been involved.

The government has published a summary of the Attorney General’s legal advice which you can find here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/summary-of-the-uk-government-legal-position-the-legality-of-defensive-action-in-respect-of-iranian-regional-attacks.

The Prime Minister has always been clear that the UK will always act in line with our values, our interests, and our legal obligations.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s crisis response team has been working around the clock to support British nationals. As you may have seen, air space over the Middle East has been closed.

People stranded can register their presence in the region at www.contact.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk or by calling the consular advice line on +44 (0)20 7008 5000.

FCDO is significantly stepping up the support available and will continue to do so over the coming days.

Information correct as of 02/03/2026.