Keir Starmer reiterates need to ‘de-escalate' Israel-Iran conflict
Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated the need to 'de-escalate' the conflict between Israel and Iran as the diplomatic push to calm tensions continues.
The Prime Minister spoke to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, on Saturday afternoon, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy was expected to spend the day in talks with counterparts across the Middle East and elsewhere.
It comes after Iran launched retaliatory attacks against Israel overnight.
A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir and the Crown Prince spoke on Saturday afternoon.
According to a read-out of the conversation issued by Number 10, 'they discussed the gravely concerning situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to de-escalate'.
'The Prime Minister updated on his conversations with partners so far, and reiterated that the UK is poised to work closely with its allies in the coming days to support a diplomatic resolution.'
The Foreign Secretary was due to be briefed by officials on Saturday on the developments overnight, and was expected to speak to figures in the Middle East and elsewhere through the day.
It comes after Mr Lammy had conversations with representatives from Iran, Jordan and Saudi Arabia as well as European foreign ministers on Friday.
Iranian state media said Tehran has warned the US, the UK and France not to help Israel stop Iran's strikes, according to reports on Saturday.
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 Israel's 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.'
Sir Keir 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
Politico
32 minutes ago
- Politico
Israel Fights Also for Us
When a society can no longer distinguish between good and evil, between victim and perpetrator, it gives up. This dynamic is one of the great constants of human history. It is a lesson people in free societies — and people in totalitarian societies who yearn to be free — should keep in mind during the climactic showdown underway in the Middle East. Israel has struck a blow to prevent Iran from developing nuclear bombs — weapons that it might credibly use toward its stated goal of removing Israel from the planet. Make no mistake: This is not simply a matter of regional security. Nor should it be a proxy for whether one supports or opposes the current Israeli government's policy on Gaza or other subjects. This conflict is a central front in a global contest in which the forces of tyranny and violence in recent years have been gaining ground against the forces of freedom, which too often are demoralized and divided. In a world full of bad actors, Iran is the most aggressive and dangerous totalitarian force of our time. Its leaders seek to weaken and destroy free society, democracy and human rights with Russian and Chinese support. In Iran, women are systematically oppressed and abused. Homosexuals are murdered. Those who think differently are imprisoned and tortured. In Tehran, the cynical abuse of the civilian population in Gaza as human shields is also cold-bloodedly conceived and financed. According to official state doctrine, the primary goal of the mullahs in Tehran is the annihilation of the State of Israel. Ayatollah Khamenei has described Israel as a 'cancerous tumor.' And clocks in the streets of Tehran celebrate countdowns to the 'destruction of Israel.' But Israel is only the first target. Once Israel falls, Europe and America will be the focus. Radical Sunni and Shiite Islamism has been preparing for this for decades. The fatwa against Salman Rushdie, 9/11, the attacks in Paris, the caliphate of ISIS — each event was a warning sign. Only those who did not want to see the signs are surprised today. The attacks are directed against our values, our way of life. It is therefore surprising that Israel is not being celebrated worldwide for its historic, extremely precise and necessary strike against Iranian nuclear weapons facilities and for the targeted killing of leading terrorists, but that the public response is dominated by anti-Israel propaganda. The intelligence and precision of Israel's actions are not admired but are instead used here and there to perpetuate blatantly antisemitic stereotypes. This attitude is characterized not only by racist undertones, but also by a strange self-forgetfulness. If the perpetrator-victim reversal that has been repeatedly observed since Oct. 7 applies even in the most obvious case — Iran — then this can only be interpreted to mean that we are in the process of losing the culture war, which in reality has long since become a war of civilizations. And we seem to have no problem with that. It is what Michel Houellebecq called 'submission' in his visionary novel 10 years ago. As someone who has 40 years' experience as a journalist and publishing executive, I believe every government should be questioned critically about all the details of its policies — above all on matters of war and its consequences. But those details should not be allowed to obscure larger historical truths. Perhaps a German of my generation has a useful vantage point. Born in 1963, I grew up in a country and continent still shadowed by World War II and its crimes, including an effort by Germany to eradicate Jews across Europe. The first half of my journalism career saw freedom on the march. The Soviet Union collapsed, authoritarian governments across Eastern Europe were routed, Germany was reunited under democracy. The second half of my career, however, with authoritarianism on the rise in all directions — with governments hostile to the very idea of journalism, as well as democracy, pluralism, rule of law and basic standards of decency. These unwelcome developments highlighted how fragile the triumphs of the late 20th century may be in the 21st. The contest between free societies and murderous tyrants is enduring. That's why warnings of dangerous escalation that can be heard from politicians in the West are particularly misplaced. The argument is as stale as it is false. Those warning of escalation are to blame for Vladimir Putin being on the verge of winning his terrible war of conquest in Ukraine. And those warning of escalation are to blame for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. This could have been prevented with decisive resistance from the West in the first days of the attack. Dictators decide for themselves when to escalate. Usually when they do not encounter enough strength and resistance. This also applies to Iran. If Israel does not achieve its goals — destruction of the nuclear facilities, maximum weakening of the terrorist regime and, ideally, the removal of the mullahs — the world will quickly look very different. China will seize this historic opportunity to annex Taiwan sooner than expected. Largely without resistance. The moment is favorable. Because America and Europe cannot win a three-front war and therefore cannot fight it. But if the anti-democratic triangle — China, Russia, Iran — succeeds in this coup, a different, non-democratic world order will prevail. That is why America and Europe, in their own interests alone, must stand united with Israel and do everything in their power to ensure that this historic liberation is achieved. This morning, my son asked me a question: 'In the near future, will Israel become more like us, living in peace, or will we become more like Israel?' It depends. It depends on us.
Hamilton Spectator
43 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada condemns Iran's attack on Israel, calls for de-escalation: Anand
OTTAWA - The Canadian government is condemning an Iranian attack on Israel after a barrage of long-range missiles was launched at Tel Aviv in retaliation for an Israeli strike in Iran. Israel attacked Iranian missile and nuclear sites Friday and Iran warned of 'severe punishment' before launching its missiles in response. Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Canada is urging restraint on both sides and that further actions could cause 'devastating consequences' for the broader region. Anand said the U.S.-Iran negotiations represent the best path to achieving a 'lasting and peaceful resolution' to Iran's nuclear program, adding that diplomatic engagement remains essential to ensuring long-term regional stability and international security. 'Iran cannot obtain nuclear weapons,' Anand said on social media Friday evening. 'Iran's continued efforts to pursue nuclear weapons, support for terrorists, and direct attacks on civilian centres embody Iran's persistent threat to regional stability and to Israel, which has the right to defend itself. 'Canadians in the region are encouraged to remain vigilant and to register with the embassy in order to receive timely updates.' The Israeli strike involved more than 200 aircraft and about 100 targets, according to Israel's military. Iran confirmed the deaths of three of its top military leaders and launched more than 100 drones at Israel in response. Israel said the drones were being intercepted outside the country's airspace. Israeli leaders described the attack as a pre-emptive strike to head off an imminent threat by destroying Iran's ability to build nuclear weapons. Iran maintains its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. After a meeting with the National Security Council, Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Friday evening that the government was monitoring the situation 'closely.' At this point, Canada has not announced any changes to embassy staffing in Israel and the broader region. Canada closed its embassy in Iran in 2012. The U.S. evacuated some people from its embassy in Iraq before Israel attacked Iran. MP Robert Oliphant, Anand's parliamentary secretary, told reporters Friday that Iran is a 'wild card' in the Israel-Hamas war. '(Iran is) obviously using proxy wars at various times in various places, and so we will never defend Iran while we always stand with the people of Iran,' he said. He said Canadian diplomatic staff in the region are being protected through 'strong measures' but was unable to say whether plans are in the works to pull them out or boost embassy safety protocols. Dennis Horak, Canada's last ambassador to Iran, said that if Ottawa chooses to evacuate embassies in the region, its first step would be to order dependants and non-essential staff to leave. 'There are contingency plans for all of the embassies to have about evacuation plans and things like that, and those will be dusted off and may be reviewed,' Horak said. 'Ideally, out of our embassy in Israel, there would be a desire to get at least dependants out, but again the logistics of that may be challenging.' While Israeli airspace is currently closed, Horak said Canadians could leave by road for Jordan. With Canada hosting the G7 next week, Horak said it's an 'opportune' time for world leaders to discuss the conflict in the Middle East. 'How success would be defined is a whole other story,' he said. 'So I think it's fortunate timing, actually.' Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Israel has the right to act to defend itself by 'disarming' Iran before it has the capability to launch a nuclear strike. 'We should all hope that this is the end of the regime's nuclear program and that the great Persian people can now rise up to reclaim their country from the totalitarian regime,' Poilievre said on social media. 'All levels of government must take extra steps to protect Canada's Jewish community from vile antisemites who may use these events as an excuse for more acts of violence.' NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson condemned Israel's actions in a media statement. 'While we have long condemned Iranian leadership, including the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), this illegal act by Israel will only provoke further violence,' she said. In a media statement, B'nai Brith Canada called on the federal government to support Israel. 'An Iran armed with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles is an existential threat to the entire world,' the advocacy body said. 'For years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has worked relentlessly to develop nuclear weapons, arm terrorist proxies with weapons of mass destruction, and openly call for the annihilation of Israel and the West. Yesterday, Israel acted decisively to prevent a global catastrophe.' — With files from Catherine Morrison and The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Israel urges U.S. to join war with Iran to eliminate nuclear program
Israel has asked the Trump administration over the past 48 hours to join the war with Iran in order to eliminate its nuclear program, according to two Israeli officials. The big picture: Israel lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is built into a mountain and deep underground. The U.S. has both within flying distance of Iran. But the Trump administration has so far distanced itself from Israel's operation, and argued that it would be illegitimate for Iran to retaliate by striking U.S. targets. Directly attacking Iran, even if the U.S. involvement is limited to bombing a single site, would pull the U.S. directly into the war. However, if Fordow remains operational after the operation ends, Israel will have failed in its goal to "eliminate" Iran's nuclear program. Behind the scenes: An Israeli official claimed to Axios that the U.S. might join the operation, and that President Trump even suggested he'd do so if necessary in a recent conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A White House official denied that on Friday. A second U.S. official confirmed on Saturday that Israel has urged the Trump administration to join the war, but said currently the administration is not considering it. A senior White House official told Axios Saturday that "whatever happens today cannot be prevented," referring to Israel's attacks. "But we have the ability to negotiate a successful peaceful resolution to this conflict if Iran is willing. The fastest way for Iran to accomplish peace is to give up its nuclear weapons program," the senior official added. What they're saying: "The entire operation... really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow," Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told Fox News on Friday.
