Name: President Trump says he may “wind down” Iran War and let others police region | BBC News
Uploaded: 2026-03-21T16:28:39.000Z
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The government has agreed to give the United States greater use of British bases in its continuing war with Iran.

It will now allow them to be used to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz, the stretch of water vital for transporting much of the world's oil.

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President Trump, who'd earlier in the day called NATO members cowards, responded to the announcement by saying the UK should have acted a lot faster.

And in the last hour on Truth Social said the administration was considering winding down the war.

But tonight's Iran's foreign minister said the British decision was putting UK lives at risk.

We'll have more from Westminster on that in a moment.

First, this report from our chief international correspondent, Lise Doucet.

America's military might striking deep inside southern Iran.

In the north, Israeli warplanes expanded their operations.

These are the first attacks along the Caspian Sea as this confrontation enters its fourth week.

Today, President Trump was again hailing their military success.

Well, look, we can have dialogue, but I don't want to do a ceasefire.

You know you don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side.

And he gave short shrift to the UK's offer of its basis to strike Iran to protect the Strait of Hormuz.

I was a little surprised at the uk, to be honest with you.

But Iran swiftly condemned Britain's step.

Mr. Starmer is putting British lives in danger.

Iran will exercise its right to self defense.

Iran is still firing back, launching missiles across the Gulf and into Israel.

Fragments from an intercepted missile even fell on the edge of the Old City in Jerusalem, close to the holy sites of Muslims, Jews and Christians.

In Iran, the missiles keep smashing into residential areas.

They're said to be targeting the regime's infrastructure, its top officials.

But civilians are in harm's way and they're hurting during days which should bring the most joy.

State TV broadcast a Nowruz statement from the new Supreme Leader, Mujtaba Khamenei, although he's still not been seen during this war at the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots.

The enemy has been defeated, but hardly a day goes by without a funeral procession.

Today they buried the intelligence minister, Ismail Khatib.

Israel has warned it will keep killing the men in charge.

Iran is vowing to continue this fight, whatever the cost to them and to the world.

Well, let's talk more about that UK decision about the use of British bases.

Our political correspondent Nick Eardley is at Westminster and just explain more, Nick, because this is an expansion really of what the US is going to be allowed to do.

Since the first weekend of the war, Jane, the UK has allowed the US to use its bases for so called defensive operations attacking Iranian missile sites with a view to protecting allies in the region.

Today it's decided to go a bit further to allow the US to use UK bases to launch attacks on sites in Iran seen as launching attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

We should be clear the UK isn't going to launch these strikes itself.

Downing street says it doesn't want to get involved in the wider war, but

the number of reasons the US can now use British bases has been expanded.

Now, as you heard in Lise's piece there, the President doesn't seem all that impressed, saying that this should have happened a lot sooner.

And this isn't what the US was calling for, which was for international navies to effectively police the Strait of Hormuz to make sure the oil could get through.

The Iranians have said today that they consider the UK's position an act of aggression.

And their Foreign Minister says tonight that the latest developments put British lives at risk.

Back here at Westminster, there are some calls for the government to give MPs a vote on when the US should be allowed to use UK bases.

The Conservatives have accused the Prime Minister of not being strong and decisive enough on this issue.

The government is adamant that it wants to see a rapid de escalation of hostilities.

But as we've seen over the last few days, it's just as possible that the opposite happens.

Nick Eardley, an Iranian man is one of two people arrested after trying to enter the Fazlane naval base, home to the UK's nuclear armed submarines.

Police Scotland said a 34 year old man and a 31 year old woman were detained yesterday at HM Naval base at Fazlane on the Clyde.

Well, the attacks on oil infrastructure across the Middle east continues to have a big economic impact.

Analysts say the large increases in wholesale energy prices could add more than 300 pounds to the average household bill.

Oil refineries ablaze once again, this time in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia targeted by Iran.

But by contrast, oil and gas markets have been calmer after Israel said it wouldn't attack Iranian energy infrastructure.

So it's a chance to reflect on what the turmoil so far could mean.

Let's start with energy bills, because new predictions suggest the annual price cap for a typical dual fuel household could rise from 1641 pounds in April to 1973 pounds in July.

That cap is calculated over several months and things could change.

And this would still be way below the level of bills that prompted the government to step in in 2022 after the invasion of the Ukraine.

How much help could the government afford anyway?

This is the interest rate on some of the bonds it uses to borrow now at their highest since 2008 after new figures revealed how high our debt remains.

We've got used to government support during COVID and in 2022, but have paid little back.

And the rise in this affects other borrowing costs like fixed rate mortgages.

New two year and five year deals are already at the most expensive for over a year.

They could head higher as expectations grow of at least one rate rise this year as price pressures grow.

For petrol, prices are up by 9% a litre since the conflict began.

And that is before the latest spike in oil prices is passed on.

The Strait of Hummus, that key transport route for oil and gas through which 100 ships a day would typically pass.

Now BBC analysis suggests it's just five or six.

The head of the International Energy Agency called for people to cut down on use by working from home or car sharing in what he's called the greatest energy security challenge ever faced.

It is much bigger than what we hit in the 1970s, the oil price shocks.

It is also bigger than the natural gas price price shock we have experienced after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Fertilizers, petrochemicals, these are all facing major problems.

It could change again, but in the space of just three weeks.

This war has posed challenges to the fortunes of businesses, households and governments that no one was prepared for.