UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump called for de-escalation and insisted on the use of “diplomacy and dialogue” as Iran and Israel escalated conflict. The two leaders had a telephone call on Friday evening as Western governments launched a concerted diplomatic effort to bring the crisis under control.
The hostilities started with early morning Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. In retaliation, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel, triggering air raid sirens and emergency sheltering in cities such as Tel Aviv.
Prime Minister Starmer also called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue a diplomatic solution. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy referred to the incident as a “moment of grave peril” and appealed for calm during his call with Iran’s foreign minister.
After previous calls for restraint by leaders such as France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz, subsequent Israeli attacks hit Tehran and other locations. Among those reported killed was Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, said the attacks targeted military and nuclear sites and denied the attacks were impulsive.
Netanyahu spoke directly to the Iranian people, saying that Israel’s issue is with the regime and not civilians. Netanyahu alleged that Israel had killed high-ranking Iranian commanders, nuclear scientists, and key ballistic missile installations, with further action promised.
The UK held a Cobra emergency session to consider regional implications, with the US and UK emphasizing that they were not part of the Israeli strikes, describing them as unilateral actions.
Downing Street announced the leaders would resume talks at the next G7 summit in Canada. The crisis comes in the wake of stalled negotiations over a nuclear deal, with Trump recently threatening to use military means if diplomacy cannot stop Iran’s nuclear drive.
