FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2026
Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]
Bases Off Cyprus Statement Against the Use of Cyprus in the War Against Iran
LONDON - In the early hours of this morning (2nd March 2026), the British military bases on Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri and Dhekelia, were hit by drones just after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed British bases would be used to support the US-Israeli war of aggression on Iran.
The US has been launching planes from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, according to The Times. The British restriction of US actions from the bases to only ‘defensive operations’ is fictitious, as these include strikes on ground targets in Iran - offensive, unprovoked, deadly attacks.
We condemn this warmongering by the British government, which quickly facilitated the use of British military bases for illegal and deadly attacks. We condemn any involvement of Britain in this war on Iran.
The bases on Cyprus are a destructive, dangerous anomaly that destabilises West Asia, puts Cyprus in the crosshairs of war, and are outposts for the violence of the Anglo-American empire. The bases must be shut down as a step towards peace in the region and in Cyprus. Since December 2023, the bases on Cyprus acted as a central link supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza through surveillance flights, weapons and soldier transfers, and as a rear base for the Israeli air force. The presence of the bases puts the people of Cyprus in grave danger by dragging them into a war they do not want to be a part of.
The Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) are a British colony illegally retained from Cyprus upon its independence in 1960. They have remained occupied territory ever since. The United States utilizes British sovereignty to conduct a wide range of operations from the bases, including National Security Agency intelligence operations, refuelling bombers, and as a key logistical node for US military presence across the Gulf. The people of Cyprus have no say over what happens in the SBAs; the area is governed by a British military commander subordinate to the Ministry of Defence in London, and there is no democratic civilian oversight.
Keir Starmer has declared the UK’s involvement as an aggressor state in the illegal war on Iran and the SABs’ use in that war. As such, the bases have become military targets for retaliation strikes from the states that Britain is helping attack. To ensure the safety of Cypriots, Britain and the United States must immediately withdraw their armies from the bases, shut the bases down, and return the area to Cypriot sovereignty.
The only solution to this violence is to get these bases off Cyprus.
About CODEPINK's Bases off Cyprus campaign:
UK-US: Bases Off Cyprus is a coalition of groups across the UK, Cyprus, and the US taking action against the colonial Royal Air Force (RAF) bases occupying the island. The UK currently occupies 3% of Cyprus with these military bases, which have been used to commit genocide in Gaza and bomb Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Cyprus must no longer be a military outpost for imperialist powers to inflict violence on the world. The coalition demands that the RAF bases be immediately closed and the land returned back to the Cypriot people. For more information about CODEPINK's Bases off Cyprus campaign, please contact Nuvpreet at [email protected].
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