On BBC, Bryan Clark discusses the United Kingdom’s decision to allow the United States to use its bases, highlighting that these facilities host B-1 Lancer bombers capable of carrying the largest payloads deployable in the region. He emphasizes that access to these bases is essential for large-scale strikes along the coastline to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while noting that a California-based unit will replace forces called in from Japan as part of a broader effort to rebalance US presence in the Indo-Pacific as the war in Iran continues.
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An oil tanker is being unloaded with imported crude oil at the Qingdao Port Oil Terminal in Shandong Province, China on April 7, 2026. (Getty Images)