MINISTERS are scrambling to rescue up to 94,000 Brits trapped in the crossfire as war rages across the Middle East.
It came as Donald Trump announced he has agreed talks with what remains of the Iranian regime after Saturday’s devastating US-Israeli action.
Dubai was hit with drone strikes as Iran fought back after its senior leadership — including tyrant Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — were all wiped out in the blitz on Tehran.
All airspace in the region is closed.
PM Sir Keir Starmer last night said America will be able to use British bases in the Gulf region to strike Iranian missile sites.
But he said the UK “will not join offensive action”.
READ MORE ON IRAN ATTACKS
Dubai’s airport, the world’s busiest, was badly damaged yesterday while three people were killed as Iranian bombs rained down on the Middle East’s holiday hotspots.
Iran launched retaliatory attacks on nine nations, including Abu Dhabi, and also claimed to have hit British and US oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of surging oil prices.
Meanwhile, the US President said nine Iranian naval vessels have been sunk, while warplanes hammered targets in Tehran.
The Foreign Office is working on one of the UK’s biggest rescue missions for an estimated 94,000 Brits thought to be in the Gulf.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has spoken to all the UK ambassadors in the region to discuss proposals with all options open.
Clear advice has been given to Brits to “stay put” but officials are working on contingency plans if airspace remains closed.
One option under consideration is travelling by road to Saudi Arabia, from where they could then return to Britain.
Officials are also in talks with regional airlines, including Emirates, Qatar and Etihad, to help enact any plans.
Tens of thousands of Brits stuck in the UAE, Kuwait, Israel, Qatar and Bahrain have already registered for help.
It comes as almost half the flights scheduled to depart London’s Heathrow for Middle East destinations were cancelled yesterday.
Emirates said that it had temporarily suspended all flights to and from Dubai “due to multiple airspace closures”.
Etihad announced it had done the same for its Abu Dhabi services.
Former Scotland and Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness said he could hear missiles while stuck at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport as he tried to return to the UK.
In an Instagram clip, the TV pundit said: “I’m hearing some pretty loud bangs go off and that is anti-missiles taking out missiles that have been fired at some American bases.”
The 72-year-old added: “Flight’s been cancelled, still hearing explosions so we’ve given up, we’re just going to check into a hotel for a couple of nights and see where we are.”
Meanwhile, Brits told of their terror in Dubai, where a drone hit the Palm Jumeirah Fairmont hotel on Saturday.
F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone posted online: “It was one of the most scary, worst nights actually of my life.”
DISBELIEF AT DUBAI RAIDS
By Isabel Oakeshott, Brit journalist living in Dubai
HOLED up in an underground car park, listening to the faint thud of missiles outside, few mothers would not question their life choices.
It was shortly after 1am, and I was with my girls, doing my best to reassure them while the Iranian regime went kamikaze. The mad mullahs were doing the unthinkable: hitting Dubai.
Half an hour earlier, an emergency alert from the Dubai authorities jolted the children from sleep. The message was stark: “Seek immediate shelter” from possible missile strike.
That meant getting to the basement. Far below street level, it was possible to hear blasts, but everyone was calm.
It is hard to describe the disbelief among the 250,000 or so Brits and millions of other Europeans who live in Dubai at what is happening.
When the Fairmont Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah was hit, everyone assumed it must be accidental. As darkness fell on Saturday, it was clear Dubai had become a deliberate target.
On British WhatsApp groups, the rich talk of chartering private jets to flee, but most are staying put. As I write, missiles can be heard again. Armed with things to read and lots of chocolate, tonight, we’ll simply be better prepared for the car park.
