The Daily Telegraph wrote on 07 September that British forces in southern Iraq have been fighting a “proxy war” against Iran, the commander of the troops who withdrew from Basra Palace has said.

While the Army has frequently accused Iran of stirring violence across southern Iraq by arming Shia militias, no officer has been as blunt as Lt Col Patrick Sanders, commander of 4th Battalion The Rifles.
He told the BBC that 5,500 British soldiers still based at Basra Airport could return to the city if called upon by Iraq’s newly trained security forces.
This may happen if Iraq’s army needs help against Basra’s Shia militias – who Britain accuses Iran of arming and training.
“We are engaged, or we have been engaged, effectively in a proxy war with Iran and if that resumes then they (Iraq’s security forces) will need us to help,” Lt Col Sanders said.

“There was a lot of potential for some quite serious violence and attacks on us. I’m delighted that it passed off without incident,” Lt Col Sanders said.
In July alone, Shia militias fired 750 mortar bombs at the British base in Basra palace.