Huge US B-52 bomber lands at UK’s RAF Fairford air base as Iran conflict spirals

A US Air Force B-52 bomber plane landed at RAF Fairford airbase on Monday (9 March), after the US and Israel’s airstrikes towards Iran sparked widespread regional conflict. It comes after Britain's Ministry of Defence said the US has started using British bases for “specific defensive operations” against Iran. Sir Keir Starmer has stood by his decision not to allow the use of British bases to support initial strikes, saying he needed to be satisfied that any military action was legal and well planned. The PM later permitted US forces to use British bases for what he called defensive strikes against Iranian missiles in storage depots or launchers. Sir Keir said that the UK and the United States were working together "every single day," when asked whether the "special relationship" between the two countries had deteriorated.