Nigel Farage has cautioned against any deployment of British ground troops to Iran, arguing that sending soldiers into the country would be a grave error and that the UK no longer possesses the military capacity to mount such an operation meaningfully.
The Reform UK leader made the remarks as he set out his position on Britain’s role in the escalating Middle East conflict, backing the actions of the United States and Israel while distancing himself from what he described as Sir Keir Starmer’s “pathetic” response to events in the region.
When asked directly whether he would support British boots on the ground to bring about regime change in Tehran, Farage was unequivocal. “I don’t want to do that. I think that would be a huge mistake,” he said.
He went further, raising practical as well as strategic objections. “We couldn’t put boots on the ground, we have barely got an army left,” he said. “Even if we wanted to do it, we don’t have the operational capacity to attempt anything on that scale that would be meaningful at all.”
Despite his opposition to a ground deployment, Farage indicated he believed Britain had other meaningful contributions it could make in support of its allies. “I don’t want us to get dragged into it, but there is a heck of a lot what we can do to help and support our allies on this,” he said, pointing specifically to the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and intelligence capabilities as areas where the UK could play a role.
Farage also referenced Iranians who he said had been massacred in their tens of thousands during recent protests in the country, suggesting that a change of regime in Iran would amount to a “great liberation” for its people.
The comments place the Reform UK leader in a position of supporting allied objectives in the region while drawing a clear line against direct British military engagement on the ground. His remarks also represent a pointed critique of the current government’s handling of the crisis, as pressure mounts on Sir Keir Starmer to set out a more defined position on Britain’s involvement in the conflict. Parliament is expected to face further questions on the matter in the coming days.
