Britain did not provide military support to Israel’s attack on Iran or help shoot down Iranian drones, the UK government has said, as Keir Starmer called for all parties to urgently de-escalate. The prime minister spoke to Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday afternoon during which, according to an official readout, he emphasised that “Israel has a right to self-defence” but also that the conflict needed a diplomatic solution. A spokesperson said Starmer “set out the UK’s grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme” but also “reiterated the need for de-escalation” in the interests of regional stability after Israel’s air and drone attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, air defence and military leadership. Earlier, the prime minister’s spokesperson said: “The UK did not participate in Israel’s strikes overnight,” and they indicated that the RAF had also not taken part in any military action to knock out Iranian drones attacking Israel in a counterattack launched by Tehran in the morning. The US has also said it was not involved in the attack on Iran, describing the Israeli action as unilateral, and it warned Iran and its allies not to target US interests or personnel in the region. Britain was previously involved in Israel’s defence in April 2024, when RAF Typhoons shot down drones fired by Iran, and to a more limited extent in October 2024, during a ballistic missile attack by Tehran. There has been a hardening of the British line on Israel, with ministers having condemned its aid blockade of Gaza and placed sanctions on two members of the Israeli government. More sanctions are being considered against Israel if the situation in Gaza does not improve, Starmer said in an interview with Bloomberg on Friday. In the same interview, he backed a Nato plan to lift defence spending from 2.5% of GDP in 2027 to 3.5%, though he said he would not commit to a date. Starmer said on Friday: “The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region. Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy.” Britain has justified previous interventions on the grounds that it was coming to Israel’s defence, providing a small contribution alongside US and Jordanian air forces. The US said it shot down 70 drones in April 2024. Speaking at the Scottish Conservatives’ conference on Friday, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said she agreed with Israel’s strikes on Iran and that the UK “should not be confused about whose side we’re on”. Badenoch said: “We cannot have Iran getting nuclear weapons. Iran has tried to carry out terrorist attacks on our soil. Let’s be very clear, Iran getting nuclear weapons would be destructive for the UK, so yes [I agree with Israel’s attacks].” In a coordinated response, European leaders called for immediate de-escalation on Friday and urged against retaliation. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, described the Israeli attacks as “deeply alarming”. She said a diplomatic resolution was “more urgent than ever” for regional stability and global security. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, spoke with Starmer by telephone on Friday morning. Downing Street said the leaders “discussed the long-held grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme” and “agreed that a diplomatic resolution, rather than military action, was the way forward”. Merz said Berlin would use “all available diplomatic means” to avoid escalation. The aim must remain “that Iran not develop any nuclear weapons”, he said. Macron also appealed for restraint and said Paris had “repeatedly condemned” Iran’s nuclear programme. In that context, Macron said, France “reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself and ensure its security”. The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said he had called his Israeli counterpart to urge de-escalation and would make the same request to Iran’s foreign minister later. “I will insist on support for diplomacy,” Tajani told Italian TV. Some leaders were openly critical of Israel’s actions. The Spanish deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz accused the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of “dragging the world towards an escalation of war”. She called for “respect for international law, immediate sanctions against the Israeli regime and a multilateral route toward a just and lasting peace”. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, described the attacks as a “clear provocation” and said Netanyahu “and his massacre network” were “setting our entire region and the world on fire”.
Author: Kiran Stacey and Dan Sabbagh in London and Jon Henley in Paris