Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired an emergency COBRA meeting on the UK response to the Middle East crisis as Donald Trump warned that ‘Iran’s got a lot of trouble’
Keir Starmer is weighing the UK’s response to spiralling conflict between Israel and Iran as Donald Trump put the world on edge over whether the US will mount a bombing raid.
The Prime Minister chaired an emergency COBRA meeting on the Middle East crisis on Wednesday after jetting in from the G7 summit in Canada. The UK and allies used the gathering to urge both Israel and Iran to step back from the brink.
But the US President, who left the summit a day early, has been threatening Tehran with strikes, with US media reporting he has approved attack plans but is waiting to see if Iran agrees to abandon its nuclear programme.
Speaking outside the White House on Wednesday, he said: “I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble.”
Israel and Iran have been exchanging fire for days after Israeli air strikes, which Tel Aviv said were aimed at stopping the Iranians from developing a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists the country’s nuclear programme is peaceful, and claim Israel has caused hundreds of civilian casualties.
READ MORE: Iran-Israel LIVE: Missile slams into major Israeli hospital in fresh attack wave
Mr Starmer is considering how the UK should respond if the US decides to attack Iran, which would mark a major escalation in the crisis. Speculation is mounting that the US could seek to use Diego Garcia, a US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, as a staging post to conduct strikes on Iran.
American stealth bombers, the only aircraft that can carry bunker-busting bombs that could destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities, have been stationed here before.
The US is not believed to have made a formal request to use the base. A US military source told the Times: “Diego Garcia is under the UK’s sovereign control. We ask for permission for any activities involving Diego Garcia.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy will meet his US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington today, fuelling speculation that the use of base could be discussed. The UK also has a strategic base in Cyprus, RAF Akotiri, which could be used for refuelling aircraft.
After the COBRA meeting, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “Ministers were updated on efforts to support British nationals in region and protect regional security, as well as ongoing diplomatic efforts.”
Attorney General Lord Hermer is reportedly concerned about any potential UK involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies. Energy Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh refused to comment on legal advice but said the PM would be a “cool, calm head” guided by international law.
Asked about the Attorney General’s position, Ms Fahnbulleh told Times Radio: “Legal advice is for the Prime Minister, and I think that’s where it will stay and you can understand why I won’t comment on that.
“But what I will say is that we have a Prime Minister who is a lawyer and a human rights lawyer, he will obviously do everything that is in accord with international law.
“No-one wants an escalation. No-one wants this to erupt into a major conflict in the region that is hugely destabilising for every country involved and for us, globally.
“So the most important role that the Prime Minister can play, and is playing, is to be that cool, calm head, to urge all partners around the negotiating table and to find a diplomatic route out of this.”
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