U.K. analyst says U.K.-U.S. military base in Indian Ocean key to U.S. hitting targets in Iran скачать в хорошем качестве

U.K. analyst says U.K.-U.S. military base in Indian Ocean key to U.S. hitting targets in Iran

(2 Mar 2026) RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Bath, United Kingdom - 2 March 2026 1. SOUNDBITE (English) Patrick Bury, senior associate professor in security at the University of Bath: "Well, I think the UK involvement reflects the fact that it's stuck between a rock and a hard place really, you know, its major ally over the last, what 80 years with basing rights in the UK since then has requested, you know, requested use of those bases. And it's very difficult to turn that down, isn't it? Even if you wanted to stay out." ++BLACK FRAMES++ 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Patrick Bury, senior associate professor in security at the University of Bath: "I think it most importantly relates to Diego Garcia and the B-2 stealth bombers. And I think the U.S. realizes it needs them now, because I'm not convinced this is going to plan. I think they were hoping that they could have decapitated the regime, and maybe an uprising or something happened and things calmed down. And it doesn't look like that. Instead, Iran is escalating out of it. It's imposing costs on everyone in the region and beyond. And we're now in a race, and that race is about the interceptor stockpiles for the missiles across the region in the U.S. and Israel, versus the stockpile of missiles and drones by the Iranians." ++BLACK FRAMES++ 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Patrick Bury, senior associate professor in security at the University of Bath: "It looks like, if you look at the rates of fire from the Iranians, it has dropped down between the 28th of Feb and then the 1st of March a bit. So what the U.S. and the Israelis are hoping, I think, and calculating, that they can degrade that enough to basically then take some of the steam out. But I think what's taken people by surprise, to take it back to the U.K. question as well, is the ferocity and the scale with which Iran has retaliated this time, compared to June 2025, much more measured in its barrage of its neighbours, shall we say." ++BLACK FRAMES++ 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Patrick Bury, senior associate professor in security at the University of Bath: "The Iranians have had to disperse their command and control and let units pick and choose their own targets because if they have anything coordinated, it's pretty difficult. Now that makes sense, but that would therefore also play into a more sporadic, uncoordinated response, but it's effective. Their view is: impose costs on as many people as we can, civilian architecture, the airports. You know, this is all smart targeting, bringing costs in, hitting the hotels. So I do think it's a regime that's you say, you know, they've learned. I also think their backs are to the wall and when the backs are to the wall, you just go for it, don't you." ++BLACK FRAMES++ 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Patrick Bury, senior associate professor in security at the University of Bath: "But I think it's incredibly difficult for the U.K. We haven't had a kind of legalistic explanation -- we've had very little explanation for this war really from the U.S. So Keir Starmer is obviously legally minded. The U.K. policy is always heavily on upholding international law. So they're kind of looking at this going, ooh, how does this fit with our own foreign policy? And I think that explains why they've held off as much as they could. And nevertheless, they get a direct request. What are you going to do, say no?" ++BLACK FRAMES++ 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Patrick Bury, senior associate professor in security at the University of Bath: ++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++ STORYLINE: =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...