SIR Keir Starmer says he’s focused on “de-escalation”; but it is clear the UK was not in the driving seat when America launched its dramatic overnight strikes on Iran.
He insists the Government was “given due notice”; but that’s just diplomatic code for we were told, not asked.
Britain played no part in didn’t offer its bases, and wasn’t in the room when the trigger was pulled.
For a country that calls the US its closest ally, it’s a humbling moment.
While has backed the goal – stopping Iran from building a bomb – he’s skating carefully around the method.
He won’t say if the strikes were legal. He won’t say what it would take for Britain to get involved.
He’s trying to have it both ways: supporting while staying out of the firing line.
So far, it’s a delicate balancing act, but one that gets harder by the hour.
If strikes back, especially at US or Israeli targets, pressure on Britain to act will skyrocket.
Meanwhile, the opposition is flexing its muscles.
says the strikes were “absolutely essential”; and questions whether the UK even offered help.
She’s urging the government to move faster, act tougher, and stop hiding behind process.
And she’s not wrong to ask: if Britain has the capability to help stop a nuclear Iran, why didn’t we step up?
The PM of course, wants to sound strong, act calm, and avoid war.
But when your closest ally goes in hard, and you’re stuck on the sidelines, questions start piling up.
This comes as Starmer this afternoon.
He told reporters on Sky News: “I want to reassure the British public that we’re doing everything we can to stabilise the situation, to de-escalate the situation and to get to a negotiated outcome.
“But I’m very clear in my own mind that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
“That is the greatest threat to stability in the region.”;
He said there was a “risk of escalation”; and added: “That’s a risk to the region.
“It’s a risk beyond the region, and that’s why all our focus has been on de-escalating, getting people back around to negotiate what is a very real threat in relation to the nuclear programme.
“In relation to the UK, we were not involved in the attack. We were given due notice, as we would expect, as close allies to the US, and we have been moving assets to the region to make sure we’re in a position to protect our own interests, our personnel and our assets, and, of course, those of our allies.”;
The PM added how the UK had taken “all necessary measures”; to protect Brits.
Asked whether the UK could be required to intervene under Nato rules, if Iran attacked US bases in the region, Starmer said: “I’m not going to speculate about what may happen, because all of my focus is on de-escalation.
“But I do want to reassure the public we have taken all necessary measures to protect UK interests, UK personnel and to work with our allies to protect their interests as well.
“That’s what you’d expect, but my focus is on de-escalating this situation. Dealing with the threat that is that nuclear programme, but getting the parties around the table to negotiate an outcome to this.”;
INCREASED THREAT
Iranian foreign minister today announcedwithin hours.
He warned the West of “unprecedented danger”; after
Meanwhilehas threatened since even more strikes on the country, and dubbed the operation
The Prime Minister also released a statement this morning in which he called for Iran to
Heurged the Tehran to “reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis”;.
But a Cabinet minister has warned the UK faces an increased threat of Iranian attacks.
Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, has now warned Iran’s spying operations in the UK were “already at a significant level”;.
“I think it would be naive to say that wouldn’t potentially increase but again, there’s a choice here for Iran,”; he continued.
“Do they want to continue being an agent of instability in the region and the wider world? Where has that got them? Where has it got the Iranian people?
“There is a better course of action for Iran to take here and I think they should consider that.”;
Just last month, copstargeting Israel’s embassy in London by Iranian nationals.
And,undernew laws that state they must register their activities in the UKor face five years in jail.
Mr Reynolds also earlier confirmed the UK wasn’t involved in the strikes.
He told Sky News:“We support the prevention of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. We had proposed a diplomatic course of action, as other European countries had done.
“The Iranians had rejected that. And I know people will be waking up this morning, and they’ll be worried.
“They’ll want to know what this means, and I do want to give them reassurance that whilst the British government, the UK has not been involved in these attacks, we have been making extensive preparations for all eventualities, including how we look after British nationals in the region and how we get them out, and the assets we have in the region to protect British infrastructure, British bases, British personnel if we need to do that.
“But from where we are now, what I think we need to do as the President I believe himself has said is, get back around the table. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, but we need a diplomatic process.”;
And Britain’s military base of Diego Garcia was not used by the US as a staging post for the US military attack on Iran, as reported by The Times.
The jets were flown from the US military base in Guam in the Pacific – twice as far from Iran as Diego Garcia.
There had been speculation that Diego Garcia would be used by the US, which would have caused a legal, diplomatic and military headache for the UK government as it would have had to give approval to any US attack.
This would have dragged the UK directly into the conflict. Government sources said Diego Garcia was not used.
France has also expressed “concern”; over US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling on all parties to “exercise restraint”;.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X: “France has taken note with concern of the strikes carried out last night by the United States of America against three sites of Iran’s nuclear programme.”;
He made it clear that France didn’t take part in the planning of those strikes.
Barrot added that he “urges all parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict”;.
There was no immediate reaction from President Emmanuel Macron, who had said Saturday that France and its European partners planned to step up talks with Iran.
