Downing Street is urging Donald Trump to step back from the brink of a direct strike on Iran, warning against any action that would “ramp up the situation”.
Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said “de-escalation is the priority” after the US president threatened to wade into the conflict.
“We would not want to see anything that ramps up the situation,” the spokesman added. And, speaking to broadcasters, Sir Keir warned there was a “real risk of escalation” in the Middle East as Mr Trump mulls whether to join Israeli strikes on Iran.
It comes after Donald Trump taunted Iran on Wednesday over the extraordinary prospect of US airstrikes on Tehran.
After Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected demands for unconditional surrender, the US president said: “I may do it. I may not do it.”
“The next week is going to be very big,” he teased as thousands fled the Iranian capital following the latest aerial bombardment, leaving many shops closed and streets empty.
A government official confirmed the UK is trying to persuade the US not to launch a strike against Iran.
David Lammy is set to meet his US counterpart in Washington on Thursday against the backdrop of potential US involvement in the conflict.
The foreign secretary and Marco Rubio will discuss Mr Trump’s comments about potentially joining Israel’s strikes on Iran, with Mr Lammy also expected to call for de-escalation.
Israel and Iran have been exchanging fire for days after air strikes, which Tel Aviv said were aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Asked about reports Mr Trump has already approved a plan to attack Iran but has not yet decided whether to go ahead, Sir Keir said: “The situation in relation to Israel-Iran is obviously fast moving and in those circumstances, it’s really important to cling on to the key principles here.
“Obviously all of us, UK included, are very concerned about the nuclear programme that Iran is developing, we’ve long been concerned about that.
“Also, completely recognise Israel’s right to self-defence, but the principle is that we need to de-escalate this.
“There’s a real risk of escalation here that will impact the region, possibly beyond the region, akin to Gaza, and obviously it’s already having an impact on the economy.
“So I’ve been absolutely clear we need to de-escalate this. Yes, the nuclear issue has to be dealt with, but it’s better dealt with by way of negotiations than by way of conflict.”
Iranian officials insist the country’s nuclear programme is peaceful, and claim Israel has caused hundreds of civilian casualties.
At least 639 people are reported to have been killed in Israeli strikes on Iran, with hundreds believed to be civilian casualties.
The Israeli military said Tehran and other areas of Iran were being targeted during the latest round of airstrikes on Thursday, warning people in a post on X to evacuate the area around the Arak heavy water reactor, about 155 miles south west of the capital.
Sir Keir’s spokesman said Britain has been clear since the outbreak of fighting that the priority is cooling tensions. But he stressed the government’s “grave concerns” about the threat of Iran’s nuclear programme.
“We have long been gravely concerned by Iran’s nuclear programme, it is a clear threat to international peace and security,” the spokesman said. “Iran’s nuclear programme has never been as advanced as it is today.”
But he said “we are urging all parties to show restraint and return to diplomacy”.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei “cannot continue to exist” after its latest barrage of missiles struck a hospital.
“A dictator like Khamenei, who heads a country like Iran and has made the destruction of Israel his mission, cannot continue to exist,” Katz said.
Officials said the main hospital in southern Israel, Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba, has suffered “extensive damage” in a direct hit from an Iranian missile this morning, officials said. Patients have been asked not to come for treatment following the attack that left dozens of people wounded.
