War fears are surging across the Middle East after U.S.–Iran nuclear talks in Geneva broke up without a deal, while Britain quietly moved to block American plans for potential airstrikes. Mediators from Oman say “significant progress” was made, but both sides left with core disputes over uranium enrichment and sanctions unresolved, feeding a sense that diplomacy is stalling just as the clock on fresh confrontation runs down.

At the same time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has declined a U.S. request to use the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire for long‑range bomber missions against Iran, citing fears of breaching international law. Multiple reports say London has not granted approval for any Iran strike from British soil or territory, a decision that directly constrains White House war planners.

President Trump has publicly blasted the move, warning Britain that Iran also threatens UK security and tying the row to a separate dispute over London’s plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands — including Diego Garcia — to Mauritius. Behind the scenes, officials on both sides admit the base‑access fight has opened a rare, public rift between two supposedly ironclad allies.

With U.S. carrier groups surging into the region and Trump’s self‑imposed deadline for Tehran approaching, strategists fear a volatile mix: stalled‑looking talks, massive firepower on standby, and an ally unwilling to host American bombers. The question gripping capitals tonight is stark — has the UK just slowed the march to war, or raised the odds that if shots are fired, Washington will act more alone and less restrained than ever?