Anti-war protest at RAF base being used by US

Dozens of demonstrators have been protesting outside RAF Fairford, which is being used by US forces as a base to strike Iran.

Sir Keir Starmer recently approved the use of UK bases for "defensive" US action against Iranian missile sites.

Two of the protesters – from Wiltshire, near the base – said they hoped their demonstration would "signal" that "the British public are not necessarily behind this by any means". A much smaller group also arrived at the protest in support of the UK military.

It has been more than seven days since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran, which led Tehran to retaliate with its own attacks across the region.

Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Iraq have all been hit, as has an RAF base in Cyprus.

Liz Maison Pierre and Lorna Dixon were among the 50 to 60 protesters at RAF Fairford. They said they believed "a lot of people are going gung-ho into this war without any thought".

"Starmer needs to stand up and say, 'No, don't use our bases'," they added.

Chris Cole – from Drone Wars UK, an organisation that stands against armed drones – was part of the group.

He said: "It's important people stand up and say no to what's going on. We're out here to say on behalf of the public that we disagree with this."

However, a handful of others attended to show their support for the UK military.

Nick Franklin, from Patriots! Stand Up Gloucestershire, said: "Nobody wants war but we also don't want to be walked all over."

He said he would tell the other protesters to "grow up", adding: "Get involved and get behind our military."

The group believe the US-Israel war with Iran will benefit the Iranian people.

Gloucestershire Constabulary attended the protest to "enable lawful peaceful protest".

President Trump earlier vowed to hit Iran "very hard". He said the US military was considering new targets in the country.

Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to the UK has told the BBC there is "willingness" not to strike its neighbours – but he said the country would defend itself.