Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Saturday that Britain would become a “definite and legitimate target” if it supports U.S. military action against Tehran, adding a new European flashpoint to the widening Iran crisis.
Reuters reported the warning, citing Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. The Revolutionary Guards spokesperson said any country, including Britain and Gulf states, that backs the U.S. in a conflict with Iran would be considered a legitimate target, and pointed to recent use of British airfields by U.S. bombers.
The warning lands after days of direct U.S.-Iran escalation around the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint that carried roughly a fifth of global oil and gas flows before the current conflict. The Guardian reported Saturday that Iran had its first night without new U.S. strikes after two weeks of attacks, though tensions remained high and President Donald Trump continued to threaten wider military action if talks failed.
Britain had already faced Iranian warnings over bases used by American aircraft. In a separate Guardian report this week, the British government said the UK was “ready to defend itself” and said British forces were prepared to protect the country, its interests, and allies while avoiding being drawn further into the conflict.
The new Iranian threat also came as the war’s pressure spread beyond the Gulf. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claimed attacks on Saudi oil sites in Jizan and Yanbu, while Saudi-linked forces struck Houthi positions in Yemen. Reuters reported that the U.S. paused strikes on Iran for the first time in two weeks, but the wider regional conflict continued to threaten energy routes through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
For now, the key shift is diplomatic and military risk for countries hosting or supporting U.S. operations. Iran is no longer limiting its warnings to Gulf bases. It is now explicitly naming Britain, raising the possibility that any fresh U.S. strike campaign could pull European infrastructure and NATO politics deeper into the crisis.
Sources: Reuters, The Guardian.