British Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed on Saturday that the United Kingdom is sending more military resources, including fighter planes, to the Middle East amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. Delivering his statement en route to Canada for the Group of Seven (G7) summit, Starmer highlighted the move as a precautionary measure to uphold regional stability.
“We are relocating assets into the area, including aircraft, and that is for regional contingency support,” Starmer said. The UK already has a military presence in the Middle East, with planes involved in operations against threats in Iraq and Syria.
Deployments began early on Friday as intelligence indicated the regional security situation was worsening. A spokesman for the prime minister said further refuelling planes from UK bases have already been deployed, and further fighter aircraft will follow in the next few days.
The deployment comes after a dramatic increase in hostilities following Israel’s large-scale air offensive on Friday. The airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear experts, top military officials, and strategic targets. Israeli officials stated that the attacks were meant to deny Iran nuclear weapons capabilities.
In a corollary, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Tehran will not sit down for nuclear talks with the US while Israel maintains its war efforts. In a call to French President Emmanuel Macron, Pezeshkian again asserted Iran’s preference for talks but turned down negotiations “under coercion” or with the ongoing Israeli attacks.
Macron, in another statement, called on Iran to return to the negotiating table forthwith.
The news represents a major reversal for diplomatic initiatives to moderate nuclear tensions in the region and evoke concerns about increased instability throughout the Middle East.
