CYPRUS is asking the UK Government for guarantees in case Nigel Farage becomes prime minister.
Both UK and Cypriot officials have confirmed to Politico that there is concern that a future Reform UK Government might use British military bases on the island for offensive strikes on Iran.
It comes after Keir Starmer refused to allow Donald Trump to use the likes of RAF Akrotiri to launch offensive airstrikes – instead allowing them to be used for the "specific and limited defensive purpose" of preventing Iranian attacks.
Now, a senior Cypriot diplomatic official has said that the government in Nicosia plans to raise the issue of a potential Farage-led No 10 once the war in Iran is over.
The official said the country wants concrete guarantees to ensure that future governments, such as one led by Farage – who previously backed US military strikes in Iran before later backtracking, wouldn’t be able to unilaterally use bases in Cyprus for military action.
They did not, however, give details on how that could work in practice.
Cyprus gained independence from the UK in 1960 but London still considers the bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia as UK sovereign territory.
Concerns intensified in Cyprus after RAF Akrotiri was hit by a one-way attack drone in March.
It came just hours before the Prime Minister announced that American forces would be allowed to use British bases to strike Iranian missile sites.
In the aftermath, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that there were no casualties, adding that damage to the base was minimal.
He described the incident as an example of the “dangerous and indiscriminate attacks” carried out by Iran and its proxies.
However, in a later statement, the MoD confirmed that the drone was not launched from Iran.
The MoD statement read: “The Ministry of Defence can confirm that a Shahed-like drone which targeted RAF Akrotiri at midnight on March 2 was not launched from Iran.”
Following the strike on Monday, senior Cypriot officials said that the attack was carried out by an Iran-made Shahed drone, stating they believe it was likely fired from Lebanon by Hezbollah.
They also said they believed the base was the intended target and not Cyprus itself.
