London, March 24 -- A United States B-52 strategic bomber triggered an emergency alert while flying over the United Kingdom, even as London clarified it would not permit its bases to be used for potential strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure.
According to flight tracking platform Flightradar24, a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress transmitted a "7700" squawk code - indicating a general emergency - while flying east of Bristol. The nature of the emergency was not immediately known.
The incident comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Iran.
Separately, UK Defence Secretary John Healey told Parliament that British bases would not be used for offensive operations against Iran.
"The permissions for the use of ...