The British government has warned it is "ready to defend itself" following a threat from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which declared that any base being used to launch attacks on Iranian territory is a "legitimate target." The IRGC specifically named RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, alleging that US bombing missions against Iran had been launched from the site, as American strikes entered a 12th consecutive night. Britain says it has permitted only "defensive" US operations from its bases and insists it will not be drawn into the wider conflict, though recent Iranian strikes on British-linked facilities — including a drone hit on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and a ballistic missile intercepted near the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands — underscore that the standoff is already reaching British military assets abroad.