Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK has “grave concerns” about Iran’s nuclear program and backed Israel’s right to self-defense, while calling for de-escalation in a conflict that risks engulfing the Middle East.
Starmer was speaking after Israel carried out a wave of strikes on Iran, targeting nuclear facilities and killing top military commanders. The attacks raised fears of a wider war in the region and caused a spike in the price of oil — though it later pared those gains.
“We’ve long held concerns, grave concerns, about Iran’s nuclear program, and we absolutely recognize Israel’s right to self defense,” Starmer said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Friday from Downing Street, shortly after holding a call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“But I’m very concerned about the escalation of this situation, which is why, along with Germany and France, we’re really clear that de-escalation is what is needed here.”
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks targeted Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and “will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said there would be a “severe response,” and Iran quickly replied by sending a wave of drones toward Israel — though it was unclear if they caused any damage.
Starmer said the UK did not participate in Israel’s attacks and declined to comment on whether Britain would help defend Israel from Iranian attack, as it has done previously. The British premier said he would speak with Netanyahu later on Friday afternoon. Israel closed its embassy in London on Friday, a spokesperson said.
Iran has faced suspicion for decades over its nuclear ambitions and whether it’s developing the capability to fire an atomic weapon. The Islamic Republic has been ramping up production of fissile material in recent years, with recent analysis indicating it would likely be able to produce the amount of enriched uranium needed for a bomb in less than a week.
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US President Donald Trump responded on Friday by urging Iran to accept a nuclear deal to avoid further attacks. While Trump said he knew about Israel’s operations in advance, it’s unclear if he had much notice.
“There is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump said on Truth Social. Tehran must make a deal “before it is too late,” he said.
The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, and the military’s chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri, were both killed, according to Iranian media. At least two other senior IRGC members also died.
The latest wave of hostilities between Israel and Iran is the third major escalation in little more than a year and comes as Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues.
Starmer labeled the humanitarian situation in Gaza “intolerable” and warned that the UK and its allies would consider further sanctions if aid does not reach civilians more quickly.
“It is important that we consider what other options that we have,” Starmer said. “We’re being very clear in our messaging on this and our coordination on this, and our willingness to take action such as sanctioning.”
Earlier this week, the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Australia sanctioned two far-right Israeli government ministers, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, for inciting violence against Palestinian communities. The move drew criticism from the US as well as within Israel.
Palestinian statehood would need to be part of any eventual peace, Starmer said, adding that the UK had discussed with allies when recognition would help the process. “We are talking to allies, like-minded countries, about this very issue, but it must be in accordance with our manifesto, part of a process that leads to a two-state solution.”
In an interview with Bloomberg in Jerusalem earlier this week, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the US no longer wholeheartedly endorses an independent state for Palestinians.
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