
Lammy set for further talks with counterparts as Iran and Israel exchange fire
The Foreign Secretary will be briefed by officials on Saturday and will speak to figures in the Middle East and elsewhere.
It comes after conversations with representatives from Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well as European foreign ministers on Friday.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media said Tehran has warned the US, the UK and France not to help Israel stop Iran's strikes, according to reports.
Iran launched missile and drone strikes on Israel overnight after a series of Israeli attacks on the heart of Tehran's nuclear programme and armed forces.
Tehran's UN ambassador said 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded in the attacks, while Tehran's response was said to have killed at least three and wounded dozens.
Speaking to broadcasters on Friday evening, Mr Lammy said: 'I spoke to my Iranian counterpart today to urge restraint at this time and calm. I recognise that this is a moment of grave peril in the Middle East.'
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump called for 'diplomacy and dialogue' in a call on Friday, amid a diplomatic flurry from western nations to try to calm the conflict.
Sir Keir had earlier urged his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to de-escalate and work towards a 'diplomatic resolution'.
A Cobra meeting of high-level ministers was convened on Friday afternoon to discuss the situation. The same is not expected on Saturday but Whitehall officials were expected to be meeting.
The conflict was ignited by early morning Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear bases on Friday.
Israel said the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building a nuclear weapon, although experts and the US government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon.
Iran retaliated with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, with explosions lighting up the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Sir Keir is set for discussions with other world leaders at the G7 summit in Canada next week.
Tensions between Israel, the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks, amid negotiations over the Iranian nuclear deal, which is aimed at preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Albo's chilling warning that Aussie military could be sent into the Middle East as Israel-Iran conflict explodes
Australia's military could be asked to play a role in the Middle East as regional tensions escalate. Iran and Israel have targeted each other with missile and air strikes after the latter launched its biggest-ever air offensive against its long-time foe. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was continuing to monitor the situation and urged Australians in the region to leave. Australia has not been drawn into the conflict, but Mr Albanese said the nation could be asked to participate in the future. 'It's obviously a very volatile situation,' he told reporters in Seattle on Saturday, local time. 'We expect there could be a request for Australia to play a military role.' The US was notified about the Israeli strikes in advance but Washington officials have been quick to point out it played no part in the attacks, warning Iran not to target its personnel or interests. Mr Albanese landed in the US on his way to the G7 summit in Canada on Sunday. He is expected to meet with a range of global leaders, including US president Donald Trump, who has been working with Iran on a nuclear deal. Tariff discussions are expected to take the spotlight but defence talks could also feature after the US urged Australia to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Australia is already forecast to grow military spending to 2.3 per cent of GDP and Mr Albanese insisted his government would give 'whatever capability Australia needs to defend our national interest'.

South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Canada is independent and sovereign, says Starmer ahead of visit
In an apparent challenge to the US President, the Prime Minister said the country was a 'much-valued member of the Commonwealth'. Sir Keir indicated the UK and Canada will seek to restart trade talks on his way to meet Mark Carney, the country's premier and former Bank of England governor, in the Canadian capital on Saturday. The visit will be the first by a British premier to the country in eight years and comes ahead of leaders from the world's major economies meeting for the G7 summit in Kananaskis next week. The Prime Minister will be walking a diplomatic tightrope between strengthening bilateral relations with Canada and keeping Mr Trump, with whom he is finalising details of a transatlantic trade deal, on side. The US President has repeatedly expressed a desire to make Canada the '51st state.' Asked whether he had called out Mr Trump's remarks about Canada, the Prime Minister said: 'Canada and the US are our allies. Canada is an independent, sovereign nation, and quite right, too. 'And that's the basis on which I've approached my discussions with all of our partners. I'm not going to get into the precise conversations I've had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth. 'And we work closely with Canada on any number of issues, whether that is defence and security – particularly the training in Ukraine, it's been something where Canada and the UK have worked very closely together.' He added: 'And one of the things I want to do is to open the door to taking out further, reducing out trade barriers with Canada. So, I'm really clear where we stand on that.' The UK and Canada have a trade relationship worth about £28 billion to the British economy and are both members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. But the two leaders have starkly different approaches to the US president. Mr Carney previously criticised the UK Government's invitation for Mr Trump to make a second state visit, telling Sky News earlier this year that Canadians were 'not impressed' by the gesture. Downing Street said Sir Keir would use his visit to Canada to argue that 'in a shifting global economy, the UK must retain its proud status as a free and open trading nation – strengthening our existing alliances while reducing barriers to trade with other countries around the world'. He is also expected to meet Mr Trump at the summit next week.


South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Canada is independent and sovereign, says Starmer ahead of visit
In an apparent challenge to the US President, the Prime Minister said the country was a 'much-valued member of the Commonwealth'. Sir Keir indicated the UK and Canada will seek to restart trade talks on his way to meet Mark Carney, the country's premier and former Bank of England governor, in the Canadian capital on Saturday. The visit will be the first by a British premier to the country in eight years and comes ahead of leaders from the world's major economies meeting for the G7 summit in Kananaskis next week. The Prime Minister will be walking a diplomatic tightrope between strengthening bilateral relations with Canada and keeping Mr Trump, with whom he is finalising details of a transatlantic trade deal, on side. The US President has repeatedly expressed a desire to make Canada the '51st state.' Asked whether he had called out Mr Trump's remarks about Canada, the Prime Minister said: 'Canada and the US are our allies. Canada is an independent, sovereign nation, and quite right, too. 'And that's the basis on which I've approached my discussions with all of our partners. I'm not going to get into the precise conversations I've had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth. 'And we work closely with Canada on any number of issues, whether that is defence and security – particularly the training in Ukraine, it's been something where Canada and the UK have worked very closely together.' He added: 'And one of the things I want to do is to open the door to taking out further, reducing out trade barriers with Canada. So, I'm really clear where we stand on that.' The UK and Canada have a trade relationship worth about £28 billion to the British economy and are both members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. But the two leaders have starkly different approaches to the US president. Mr Carney previously criticised the UK Government's invitation for Mr Trump to make a second state visit, telling Sky News earlier this year that Canadians were 'not impressed' by the gesture. Downing Street said Sir Keir would use his visit to Canada to argue that 'in a shifting global economy, the UK must retain its proud status as a free and open trading nation – strengthening our existing alliances while reducing barriers to trade with other countries around the world'. He is also expected to meet Mr Trump at the summit next week.