The UK Government must stop hosting US nuclear weapons, campaigners have told the Canary, after President Trump issued a veiled threat to nuke Iran.

‘A whole civilization will die tonight…’

Trump faced increasing pressure from countries reliant on the transit of fossil fuels and other commodities across the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait has been effectively closed to traffic from countries aligned with the US and Israel. In response, the US president issued a direct threat to commit genocide against Iran.

On 7 April 2026, President Trump posted on his Truth Social platform:

A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.

However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?

We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!

Also on 7 April, US Vice-President JD Vance said the US military has “tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use” against Iran.

The statements from the president and vice-president were widely viewed as veiled threats to use nuclear weapons against Iran.

In response, the US-based non-governmental organisation called Nuclear Threat Initiative said:

While it is difficult to predict how the conflict in Iran will unfold, it is critical to reiterate that nuclear weapons have not been used in war in more than 80 years and it would be a monumental mistake to take this record for granted.

UK Government remains committed to hosting Trump’s nukes

Meanwhile, ministers continue to affirm the UK Government’s commitment to hosting US nuclear weapons in the UK under the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission.

On 4 March 2026, Ministry of Defence (MOD) minister of state Luke Pollard said:

The United Kingdom is purchasing at least 12 F-35A aircraft. The aircraft will allow the UK to participate in NATO’s Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission.

The nuclear weapons allocated to the NATO DCA nuclear mission are United States (US) nuclear weapons and the US retains control and custody over them.

NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept states that the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance, particularly those of the US, are the supreme guarantee of the security of the Alliance.

And on 19 March 2026, MOD minister of state Lord Coaker said:

The United Kingdom will purchase 12 F-35A aircraft and join NATO’s Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission.

This is not a decision to acquire a second sovereign delivery system, and the nuclear weapons allocated to the NATO DCA mission are United States nuclear weapons which remain under US custody and control.

After Trump’s veiled threat to use nuclear weapons against Iran, an MOD spokesperson told the Canary:

We are responding to the Iran crisis with calm, level-headed leadership.

Our commitment to Britain’s nuclear deterrent is absolute. It protects us every moment of every day.

Through the Strategic Defence Review we are stepping up in Europe and alongside assigning our nuclear deterrent to the defence of NATO we will join NATO’s Dual Capable Aircraft mission, keeping Britain safe at home and strong abroad.

UK should cancel decision to host US nukes due to Trump’s threats – CND

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), according to its website, campaigns:

to rid the world of nuclear weapons – the most powerful and toxic weapons ever created, threatening all forms of life.

CND general secretary Sophie Bolt told the Canary:

Trump’s veiled threat to use nuclear weapons against the people of Iran has shocked the world and exposed his total contempt for human life – and all forms of life. Threatening to wipe out an entire civilisation is not a negotiation tactic. It is a war crime that risks the entire world.

The British government must now end its so-called ‘special relationship’ with the US.  Fundamental to this is ending Britain’s nuclear dependence on the US. This means Britain must scrap its nuclear weapons system: the current Trident nuclear-armed submarines and the new generation of ‘Dreadnought’ submarines.

The US is deeply integrated with these systems, both in terms of leasing Britain the Trident missiles, the design of the nuclear warheads as well as the joint development of Britain’s new nuclear warheads at Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE).

Bolt described the decision by the UK Government to host US nuclear weapons as “disastrous”. She continued:

At a time of increasing nuclear risks, the British government should be reducing the nuclear risks to its population, not increasing them.

Far from keeping the British population safe and supporting national security, hosting US nuclear weapons risks dragging Britain into illegal wars that could go nuclear. And it puts us a target on all of us.

Having US nuclear weapons here in the UK undermines our safety by making a nuclear attack on us more likely. In a nuclear conflict, it is probable that Lakenheath would be targeted, followed by strikes on cities across the country. These US/NATO bases actually outsource the nuclear risks to countries that host US nuclear weapons.

Bolt added that CND has been campaigning against the UK’s purchase of the US-made F-35A nuclear-capable fighter jets since June 2025, when Keir Starmer announced the decision to purchase them:

Not only does it increase the risk of nuclear weapons being used, but it ties Britain even more closely to the Trump administration. These jets have been designed specifically to launch US nuclear bombs.

Whilst Britain will be paying for the jets, it is Trump who will decide where and when the nuclear bombs will be used. Given Trump’s terrifying actions over Iran, it is clear that Britain should cancel the deal now.

According to Bolt, CND has been working with a “powerful alliance” of politicians, trade unions and civil society organisations to reverse the decision. CND have also commissioned legal opinion showing that the purchase “breaches the British government’s obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk saw its operations shut down on 7 April by a group of activists seeking to raise awareness of the UK’s complicity in the Iran conflict, and demanded that the UK government immediately prohibits the use of UK bases by the US.

CND has also organised protests at RAF Marham where the jets will be stationed, and is working with MPs to secure a debate in parliament.

UK should ‘act quickly to disentangle ourselves from the US military’ – Green peer

Green Party peer Jenny Jones told the Canary:

When a US President, with a huge nuclear arsenal, talks about ending a civilisation, we have to ring alarm bells and question whether we want anything to do with such threats.

Trump is a bully and he will keep getting away with more and more extreme actions until the world says no. Spain have done it over the attack on Iran and the UK could join them in stopping all US military flights from UK bases.

We should also stop hosting any US controlled nuclear weapons as part of the NATO Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission. We need to act quickly to disentangle ourselves from the US military machine and have stronger links with our European allies instead.

Existence of US nukes in the UK makes ‘government complicit in his war crimes’

A Lakenheath Alliance for Peace (LAP) spokesperson told the Canary:

President Trump’s comment is obscene and irresponsible. His administration’s ‘tools’ of mass destruction currently lie securely on UK soil making our government complicit in his war crimes, should he embark on wanton destruction.

The US and UK governments have a long standing policy of neither confirming nor denying the location of their nuclear weapons. The LAP spokesperson continued:

Our campaign has successfully highlighted our UK government acquiescing to the pressure from US to site nuclear bombs despite huge opposition to having such weapons on our airbases.

This has not been a democratic decision and the arrogant posturing of POTUS (President of the United States) shows exactly why such weapons should not exist and be in the hands of anybody let alone the only country that has deployed them before in our living memory.

The mistake to strike Japan with nuclear weapons is a blot on the record of our human history. A racist ‘experiment’ that brought horrific misery for generations.

The US has taken the UK into immoral and illegal aggression against Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza. No civilisation is safe from the ‘war business’ of America. This shows clearly that it matters not who is in power as president, as each successive administration has continued the project of imperial wars of expansion.

Lakenheath Alliance for Peace will continue to campaign against the drive to war, increased militarisation and the return of US nuclear weapons to UK soil.

Trump’s unpredictable swings – from attempting reconciliation with Iran, to threatening attacks against its civilian infrastructure – means we are likely to see more words and actions from the US president that put the UK Government’s decision to host his nuclear weapons under increasing pressure.

Featured image via the Canary

By Tom Pashby

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