- News
- UK
- UK Politics
But the defence secretary John Healey has sparked an international row with both the presidents of the Republic of Cyprus and unrecognised breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) disputing his claims
David Maddox Political Editor Sunday 01 March 2026 22:25 GMT- Bookmark
- CommentsGo to comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popoverDefence Secretary says UK forces 'taking down' Iranian drones
Sign up to our free Brexit newsletter for our analysis of the continuing impact of Brexit on the UK
Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact
Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest analysis on Brexit's impact
Email*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
Two missiles from Iran were fired in the direction of Cyprus, where the UK has military bases, the defence secretary has claimed.
John Healey said the government did not believe they were targeting the bases intentionally, but said “it shows how indiscriminate” the Iranian retaliation to Saturday’s US-Israel strikes was.
But the presidents of the Republic of Cyprus and the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have both questioned the claim and criticised Mr Healey for making statements without the full facts.
Mr Healey also said that 300 UK military personnel were close to targets that were hit in Bahrain.
open image in galleryDefence secretary John Healey speaking on Sky News (Sky News)Mr Healey told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: "This is a really serious and deteriorating situation, (with) rising risks of increasing Iranian indiscriminate retaliatory attacks.
"Let me give you a couple of examples. Yesterday, we had 300 personnel on that Bahrain base that was attacked by Iranian missiles and drones, some of them within a few hundred yards of where they landed.
"We had two missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus. We don't believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it's an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act."
The revelations came a day after Sir Keir Starmer said the UK had ordered “planes in the sky” over the Middle East on defensive operations to protect our allies.
Sir Keir has also spoken to the president of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides about the crisis.
However, President Christodoulides cast serious doubt on whether there had been a threat from missiles.
He said: “In relation to statements and media reports referring to the launch of missiles towards the direction of Cyprus, it is clarified that this is not the case and there is no indication whatsoever that the country was under threat.”
Meanwhile TRNC president Tufan Erhürman went further in criticising the defence secretary.
He posted on Facebook: “Making statements without fully confirming any news at a time like this is extremely risky.
“The information confirmed at the highest level by our military authorities is that reports of ‘two missiles being launched from Iran towards the island’ are false.
“We are in constant contact with our military authorities. We will share confirmed, accurate information with our people.”
Mr Healey also repeated the prime minister’s calls for Iran to end its missile strikes and “steps back from its increasing uncontrolled indiscriminate attacks in the region” and “gives up its weapons programs.”
It came as the US and Israel launched waves of missile strikes on Iran in preemptive actions, taking out military infrastructure and the country’s leadership, including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Mr Healey added: “Few people will mourn the Ayatollah’s death.”
The defence secretary said he was now more concerned about the repercussions of the attacks on Iran in the wider region.
He noted the 20 terror plots on the UK’s streets organised by Iran, the death of tens of thousands of its own citizens and the supply of 50,000 drones to Russia to attack Ukraine.
“Make no mistake that this is a regime which harasses other countries and can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.”
Mr Healey declined to comment on whether the US-Israeli strikes on Iran were legal.
open image in galleryBlasts in Bahrain (Reuters)He told Sky News: "No one who has seen the way that Iran has menaced us and sponsored terror around the world, been a source of instability in the region, is developing a nuclear weapons program, can be under any doubt about the character of this regime, and the threat it poses."
Asked again whether the US action was legal, he said: "That is for the US to set out and explain. It's not for me, as defence secretary of the UK, I'm here to speak for the UK.
"I can speak for the very active participation that we have in coordinated defence across the region."
He noted that “everything the UK does is within international law”.
But Mr Healey also declined to say whether the UK may be drawn into joining the US and Israel in direct operations on Iran.
Describing UK operations, Mr Healey said: "When our UK planes fly from Qatar, they are protecting against any missiles or drones directed towards Qatar.
"When they fly from Cyprus, they're doing the same for Cyprus.
"But of course, when our planes are in the air and they see things, missiles or drones directed towards other countries, they'll take them down.
"So when I talk about Britain playing a role in reinforcing regional stability as part of co-ordinated regional defensive operations, that's what I mean."
Meanwhile, opposition parties continue to raise questions over the government’s approach to the crisis.
Tory shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel questioned why the prime minister was not more "proactive" in the run-up to the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
She also called on the government to expel the Iranian ambassador.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “Iran fires ballistic missiles towards Cyprus, home to a RAF base, yet the Defence Secretary says they ‘were not targeting the island.’
“Really? Does John Healey think Iran just accidentally fired ballistic missiles in that direction? This Labour government is totally rudderless.”
Following his party’s victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election last week, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said he has seen "no evidence" the UK took the process of diplomacy and negotiation with Iran seriously before it was attacked.
Mr Polanski said: "I've seen no evidence that the UK was really taking that process seriously, because part of the start of that would be to call out Donald Trump and Israel. There is only one region in that area with a nuclear weapon, and that's Israel."
More about
Defence SecretaryCyprusIranBahraindefence ministermissilesJoin our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments