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 Starmer with Donald Trump (Carl Court/PA)
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
NBC News
24 minutes ago
- NBC News
Trump presides over a military parade amid turmoil at home and abroad
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump presided over a parade Saturday celebrating the nation's military power and history, though the event was shadowed by political violence at home and escalating tensions abroad. Trump's appearance on the reviewing stand south of the White House capped a harrowing day in which a Minnesota state lawmaker and her spouse were murdered — and another Democratic legislator and his wife wounded — in what authorities called a 'politically motivated' attack. A shooting war has broken out between two longtime Middle East foes, Iran and Israel. And in a further distraction from the parade Trump has long coveted, protesters around the country rallied against the spectacle, turning out by tens of thousands in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other cities. Animating the demonstrations was a two-word rallying cry: "No kings." The weather didn't fully cooperate, either. The winds picked up and a light drizzle commenced just as the tanks were about to roll. The parade was supposed to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET, but was moved up a half hour in deference to the weather, a U.S. Secret Service official said. Army tanks, their treads squeaking against the pavement, trundled along Constitution Avenue under an intermittent drizzle. Hundreds of people were still stuck in line, even as the parade was coming to a close two hours later. Some of the planned flyovers had to be cancelled. Still, the crowd gathered on the National Mall looked up appreciatively as helicopters flew overhead in formation. The parade came on the 250 th anniversary of the Army and, as it happens, Trump's 79 th birthday. The timing sparked criticism that the parade was intended as much a celebration of one man as it was the Army. The military estimated the cost between $25 million and $40 million. "The whole idea — doing it on Trump's birthday ... We don't do this in America," Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., a member of the Armed Services Committee, said. "We do not celebrate individual leaders. We celebrate the Constitution and we celebrate the country." Trump has long pined for a military parade, having been impressed with the Bastille Day celebration he saw in Paris in 2017, the first year of his last term, a former White House official said. His staff put off the idea, citing the cost and the rarity of such spectacles. The last time the nation showed off its military hardware in this fashion came in 1991, at the end of the first Gulf War. Trump watched approvingly from a viewing stand, flanked by first lady Melania Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. All were cheered by the crowd. The commander-in-chief saluted the flag during the national anthem and the troops as they marched past. If Trump hoped the parade would be a unifying moment for the country, the run-up to the event underscored America's divisions. The week began with the president deploying California National Guard troops to counter protests of immigration raids in the Los Angeles area. It ended with the shootings in Minnesota. An FBI manhunt was underway for the suspect following the attacks on the two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses. State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in the attack. Vice President JD Vance called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — his opponent in last year's vice presidential debate — to express condolences, a source familiar with the call told NBC News. But Walz did not hear from Trump, a source close to the governor said. The crowd built slowly on the Mall in the humid afternoon hours, with rain threatening throughout. People strolled among the monuments, some wearing shirts displaying the American flag, others sporting Trump's signature 'Make America Great Again' hats. Massive video screens were erected to give the crowd a better view. Security was especially tight amid the combustible political environment. Sharpshooters took positions atop buildings along the parade route and people entering the Mall were screened for weapons. Two lonely protesters sat next to each other near the Washington Monument, clutching signs disparaging Trump. Neither gave their names, saying they feared reprisals. A man wearing a 'Dump Trump' hat who identified himself only as Mike said in an interview: 'This is a completely inappropriate use of our military. This is a $50 million boondoggle for his [Trump's] birthday. It's a complete waste of everybody's time and money and it's all to feed his ego.' A woman sitting next to him said the parade "reeks of North Korea," a dictatorship. Several in the crowd said their attendance shouldn't be viewed as support for Trump. 'Just my nation,' said Chris, who declined to give his last name. Tasha Etienne, who came from Maryland, said she was there to support her son, a soldier who was involved in some of the logistical planning. 'I'm here because he and several other men and women have sacrificed their lives with their families and all these things for the past 250 years to support this country,' Etienne said. 'That's why I'm here.' Referring to Trump, she added: 'His birthday just happens to be today.' Another attendee, Scott M., who declined to give his full last name, said he is a Democrat who supported former Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., for president in 2028. 'Not a fan [of Trump], but I also think that the presidency deserves respect, and it was going to be the 250th birthday of the Army whoever was president,' he said. 'There have been talks of having an event like this for a long time, so I just think it's good to respect and honor the Army, and not have to make it as political.'
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: Equality laws? More like a licence to bash the middle classes
It is still less than a year since millions of voters decided that they would give Labour a chance. Many voted for Sir Keir Starmer 's party. Others decided to lend their formerly Tory votes to Nigel Farage, which in many seats helped to ensure a Labour victory. The party was pleased to pocket this happy-go-lucky surge, and we duly got a Labour Government with a very large majority. They turned out to be exactly what Labour governments always are, only with extras lurking in the small print. The taxing and the spending are already hurrying towards crisis point, and there are serious questions about the basic competence of the Cabinet. But, as The Mail on Sunday warned last week, this Government also has a hard dogmatic purpose to change this country at its core, which it said little about during the election campaign. That is why it emerges piece by piece now. Today we reveal several parts of this multi-pronged attack on the Britain that many people foolishly thought was secure when they decided to give Sir Keir a chance last July. The most startling is the detonation of an egalitarian time-bomb, left waiting to explode by Gordon Brown's government of 2010. This is activation of the 'socio-economic' clause in the Equality Act of 2010, a charter intended to impose equality on all. Its wording requires public bodies to 'consider actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage'. What does this verbiage mean? It is a licence to discriminate against the middle class. When it was proposed in 2009, the veteran radical commentator Polly Toynbee rejoiced, saying: 'The Government will create a new over-arching law creating a duty on the whole public sector to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. This will stand as the main frame from which all other equality legislation flows.' She described it as 'simple, fundamental and profound'. Alas for Ms Toynbee, the Tory-Liberal coalition of 2010 ensured it was not put into effect in England (though Scotland began to enforce it in 2018 and Wales in 2021 and some local authorities in England have been applying it as far as they can). The main losers are likely to be the independent middle class, especially those who have used private education, seen by equality campaigners as a clear mark of unfair privilege. Meanwhile, two other worrying measures are also on their way. Laws now before the House of Lords will make it easier for local authorities to force academy schools to accept violent or disruptive pupils, a key aspect of their independence. And Deputy Premier Angela Rayner is pushing for a new 'strikers' charter', lowering the number of people needed to establish a trade union in a workplace. The implications of this for industrial peace are very serious. It may not take us all the way back to the strike waves of the 1980s but it will make it harder to be a small business on a tight margin. Together with new protections against dismissal and enhanced sick pay, these provisions are likely to make such small businesses more reluctant to hire new staff, so increasing the dire effect on employment of Labour's National Insurance rises. This is only the beginning. Labour has declared a class war and intends to fight it. Those opposed to this failed and unpleasant dogma need to work hard to ensure that it is exposed now and thoroughly defeated at the next election.
Daily Mail
an hour 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'.
