UK unlikely to join a US attack on Iran – but may help Gulf states if Tehran retaliates
Britain is unlikely to assist the US in an attack on Iran but a deployment of RAF Typhoons to Qatar last week signals a willingness to help regional allies if Tehran tries to widen the conflict in retaliation.A first strike on Iran is unlikely be in line with the UK’s interpretation of international law, but British forces could become involved if there is a need to help Qatar or other regional allies in self-defence.Last week, the RAF’s 12 Squadron, a joint Typhoon unit with the Qatari air force, moved from Lincolnshire to the Gulf state, while the US built up a substantial military presence for a possible attack against the Iranian regime.British sources said the squadron’s forward deployment was “at the request of the Qataris” – to help protect the country, home to the largest US airbase in the region, from any drone and missile counterattack.Earlier this month, Iran warned that US bases in the region, often also home to small numbers of British personnel, would be targeted in retaliation if Donald Trump bombed the country in support of Iranians protesting against the regime.
Keir Starmer declined to be drawn into speculation about US military action in Iran when asked about the escalating crisis on Thursday while on a trip to China, and focused on familiar concerns about preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.“The big challenge here is to ensure that Iran doesn’t get a nuclear programme and we’re all absolutely agreed on that and we’re working with allies to that end and that is the central focus of what I’m doing with our allies,” he said.But British defence sources recognise that the US president is seeking to “give himself options” with the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East earlier this week.Britain was one of several countries involved in assisting Israel in self-defence when it came under two waves of drone and missile attacks from Iran in April and October 2024.In April, UK fighters shot down an unspecified number of Iranian drones, but the RAF role in October was negligible.
Typhoon jets would only expect to help in protecting Qatar or other Gulf states from drones and cruise missiles.Ballistic missiles fly too fast to be intercepted by jets, however, and can only be targeted by specialist air defence systems, such as US Patriot or Thaad systems.The al-Udeid airbase in Qatar is the largest US military facility in the Middle East.Home to about 10,000 US troops, it is also the US Central Command’s headquarters.Earlier this month it hosted about 100 UK RAF personnel, though most of these were evacuated during a previous escalation of tensions.
US air force F-15 fighter jets have been redeployed from Lakenheath in Suffolk to the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan.Experts said their role was not likely to be in attacking Iran, but to defend against any possible retaliation against Jordan, Israel or Gulf states.
Maye v Stafford for MVP and Aaron Rodgers getting flattened: NFL end of season awards
With the Super Bowl on the horizon, we pick the outstanding players and moments from the season just goneDrake Maye struggled through a blizzard as the New England Patriots dragged themselves past the Denver Broncos and into the Super Bowl. But he endured, holding on to execute in the critical moments, as he had done against the Houston Texans the week before.New England’s victory over Denver came down to two plays. The arm was off the table in the wind and snow, so Maye’s athleticism came to the fore with a 28-yard scramble up the middle as he sensed the orange sea parting just enough for him to dart the Patriots into chip-shot territory and a 10-7 lead in the third quarter. Then Maye put the Broncos to the sword with a rogue audible
Winter Olympics preview: one week to go until Milano Cortina 2026
Next week the Winter Olympic Games will return to Italy for the first time in two decades. From the fashion capital of Milan to the dramatic peaks of Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Milano Cortina Games – the first to be co-hosted by two cities – will stretch across northern Italy blending world-class winter sport with a strong sense of history and ambition.Sixteen sports and more than 110 gold medals await, from the raw speed of alpine skiing and bobsleigh to the tactical endurance of biathlon and cross-country. Alpine fans will once again orbit Mikaela Shiffrin, still redefining excellence across the technical disciplines, while Team GB’s Dave Ryding will hope to deliver one last Olympic moment. Figure skating returns with its familiar blend of artistry and pressure, led by the American phenomenon Ilia Malinin, whose boundary-pushing jumps continue to reshape the sport
Carlos Alcaraz beats Alexander Zverev in epic five-set Australian Open semi-final – as it happened
A weary Alexander Zverev described the decision to allow a medical timeout for a cramping Carlos Alcaraz in their epic Australian Open semi-final as “bullshit”, but didn’t want the matter to take the focus off the quality of Friday’s memorable encounter.The German failed to capitalise on breaks in the second and fifth sets, as the world No 1 rallied from his physical ailments to win 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4) 7-5 in five hours and 27 minutes.Tournament rules allow medical timeouts for injuries but not muscle cramps. However, the decision is left to the attending physio and doctor.Alcaraz clutched at the inside of his right groin late in the third set and was moving gingerly – indicating either cramp or a more severe injury – and was allowed a medical timeout after seeking attention from the physio
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Teófimo López and Shakur Stevenson set for high-stakes clash at Madison Square Garden
American stars meet at sold-out Madison Square GardenStevenson rises to 140lb in bid for title in fourth divisionLópez enters in rare underdog role that suits his historyWhen Teófimo López and Shakur Stevenson come together on Saturday night inside the big room at Madison Square Garden, a junior welterweight title and a claim to American fistic supremacy will be on the line before a sold-out crowd of more than 20,000 spectators.Two of the finest US-born fighters of their generation are set to collide in a delicious matchup that pits volatility against control, power against precision, chaotic ambition against measured discipline. Both men arrive as world champions across multiple weight classes, both are 28 and prime, and both view the contest as a gateway to pound-for-pound recognition and the untold opportunities it confers.López (22-1, 13 KOs) enters as the WBO and lineal champion at 140lb, making the fourth defense of the belt he seized with a masterclass performance against Scotland’s Josh Taylor in 2023. Stevenson (24-0, 11 KOs), already a three-division world champion from 126lb through 135lb, moves up in pursuit of a fourth divisional title and his most high-profile victory to date
‘A very Italian problem’: inside the fight against the mafia and corruption at the Winter Olympics
Early on the morning of 8 October, the Provincial Command of the Carabinieri in Belluno put out a press release announcing three arrests, in the culmination of a year-long investigation they called “Operation Reset”. Two of the three were brothers, were both known members of the notorious SS Lazio Ultras, the Irriducibili, it was stated in the release, and had boasted of having personal ties to former boss Fabrizio Piscitelli, who was murdered in 2019. The crimes the brothers had been arrested on suspicion of had not been committed in Rome, but 400 miles north, in the small alpine ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, high in the Dolomites, and home, for the next three weeks, to the Winter Olympics.The brothers are still awaiting trial, but the local public prosecutor’s office has alleged that they were running an operation in three phases. The first was taking control of the drug distribution network in Cortina, the second was to take control of three local nightclubs, and the third was to extort the local council into awarding the construction contracts for the works being done for the Games
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