Britain is standing firm on not joining the US and Israeli-led war with Iran on March 3, with government officials repeating earlier statements by Downing Street that they will not have active engagement.

London is not saying the UK is “at war” with Iran, but is treating the strike as a serious threat to British personnel and interests and has allowed US use of certain UK bases for “specific, limited defensive” strikes on Iranian missile launchers.

He said will make its own decisions on the Middle East conflict based on "legality and British interests," Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Darren Jones said on March 3, in the latest comments out of the UK.  

His comments follow US President Donald Trump latest accusation that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was being unhelpful during the war on Iran.

Jones, who also serves as Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, told BBC Radio 4 that the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran "did not meet the test the Prime Minister has set out" for British involvement.

Trump had earlier criticised Starmer in an interview with the Sun newspaper, calling the state of the transatlantic relationship "very sad" and saying the prime minister "should have helped," after what has seen a spiralling of security across the Persian Gulf in recent hours with several locations struck including the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and a port in Oman.

"This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe," Trump told the newspaper.

"France has been great. They've all been great. The UK has been much different from others."

France’s position is that it condemns Iran’s missile and drone attacks, backs Gulf states and Jordan militarily in defensive terms if needed, insists Iran stop escalation and comply with nuclear/non‑proliferation obligations, and simultaneously pushes for a diplomatic, UN‑framed de‑escalation, according to the Elysee Palace. 

Trump had previously told The Telegraph he was "very disappointed" after Britain refused to allow American jets to launch strikes on Iran from UK bases over the weekend.

Starmer said on March 2 that his government "does not believe in regime change from the skies," in a pointed reference to the stated US objective of toppling the Islamic Republic.

When asked whether Britain's position was motivated by a desire to court Muslim voters, as Trump had suggested was possible, Jones rejected the claim outright.

"The UK will act in the interests of British citizens, regardless of their faith or where they are in the United Kingdom," he said.

Earlier on March 2, an Iranian‑made one‑way attack drone hit the runway at RAF Akrotiri, the British air base in Cyprus, causing limited damage and no casualties. British and Cypriot officials say the impact was on the runway, with “minimal” damage and no injuries, and two further drones heading to the base were intercepted.

UK ministers describe it as part of Iran’s wider, “indiscriminate” strikes across the region that have also brought UK troops in Bahrain and Iraq within a few hundred metres of missile impacts.