UK Starmer urges Iran to refrain from attacking Israel

The Prime Minister of the UK, Sir Keir Starmer, has urged Iran to “refrain” from attacking Israel when he spoke to the new president of Iran.

Sir Keir told Masoud Pezeshkian that “there is a serious risk of miscalculation and now is the time for calm and careful consideration,” Downing Street said.

It is the first phone call between a UK prime minister and an Iranian president since March 2021 when former British leader Boris Johnson spoke to Hassan Rouhani.

News of the 30-minute interview came as the UK issued a joint statement with the US, France, Italy and Germany – urging Iran to end its threats to attack Israel.

They called on Iran to “put down its constant threats to attack Israel and discuss the negative consequences for regional security in the event of such an attack”.

The leaders, who spoke together by phone, also expressed their support for “Israel’s defense against Iranian violence and attacks by Iranian-backed terrorist groups”.

Fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East continue to grow following the killings of top Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

On Sunday, the US confirmed it sent a missile submarine into the area in response to these problems. The submarine can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are used to hit targets around the world.

It also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group, which carries F-35C fighter jets, to accelerate its journey there. The ship was already on its way to replace another US ship in the region.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby later said that the US shared Israel’s concern that “there may be an attack on Iran and or its proxies and possibly in the coming days”.

“That’s why we’ve been talking to our Israeli partners and other partners in the region,” Mr Kirby added.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said the country takes threats from its enemies seriously and that Israel is “very ready to attack and defend”.

Downing Street also said on Monday Keir Starmer told Mr Pezeshkian he was “deeply concerned about the situation in the region and called on all parties to step down and avoid regional conflict”.

Iran blames Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in its territory late last month and has vowed to punish it.

Israel, which is currently engaged in a war to destroy the group in Gaza, has not commented but is believed to be responsible for the killing.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister last week said the country would responding to Haniyeh’s killing “at the right time” in a “proper” way.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a group of Muslim-majority states, said it held Israel accountable for the attack, calling it a “grave violation” of Iran’s sovereignty.

Ismail Haniyeh is not the only senior member of Hamas to have been killed recently. Israel again recently announced that the group’s military chief, Mohammed Deif, had been killed in an airstrike on the Gaza Strip last month.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which Israel is also fighting, has said it will. revenge for the death of its commander-in-chief Fuad Shukr.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday became the latest leader to call on his country’s citizens to leave Lebanon immediately, warning of the risk of further conflict.

Airlines including Lufthansa, Swiss Air and EasyJet have canceled or suspended flights to the Middle East.