In surprise victory, UK's Labour wins Scottish by-election after bitter contest
By Andrew MacAskill
LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party won a surprise victory in a fiercely fought by-election for the Scottish parliament on Friday after one of the most bitter election campaigns in the country's recent history.
In an election when race became a major issue, Labour won the seat from the Scottish National Party in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse following the death of a former government minister.
The result provides some relief for Starmer, whose party has suffered a steep fall in support since it won a landslide in a British general election last year after it raised taxes, cut welfare benefits and got into a row over the use of donations.
Voters rallied around Labour in the closely watched contest after Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, repeatedly referred to the ethnicity of the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who is of Pakistani heritage, drawing criticism from the other parties.
The Labour candidate Davy Russell won 8,559 votes in the election for the Scottish parliament, which has devolved powers over issues like health and education. The SNP won 7,957 votes, and Reform finished third with 7,088 votes.
The betting odds had predicted a comfortable victory for the SNP with Labour pushed into third place behind Reform.
Russell told his supporters that his victory had "sent a message to Farage and his mob, the poison of Reform isn't us, it isn't Scotland and we don't want your division here".
But a recent surge in support for Reform suggests the party is making inroads in Scotland as well as in England, a year before the Scottish parliament elections are held next year.
The support for Reform in Scotland is particularly surprising because the party's brand of low tax, anti-immigration, anti-EU politics, has often been more associated with English nationalism.
Farage visited Scotland on Monday, days after a row over an online video put out by his party that falsely claimed Sarwar had said he would "prioritise" the Pakistani community.
Labour branded the advert "blatantly racist" and the SNP leader John Swinney urged voters to reject Reform's "gutter politics". Farage responded by accusing Sarwar of introducing sectarianism into Scottish politics.
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39 minutes ago
Nations react to US strikes on Iran with many calling for diplomacy
Several close U.S. allies urged a return to the negotiating table following American strikes on Iran that fueled fears of a wider conflict, while noting the threat posed by Tehran's nuclear program. Some countries and groups in the region, including those that support Iran, condemned the move while also urging de-escalation. U.S. President Donald Trump described the damage as 'monumental' after the U.S. hit three Iranian nuclear sites, though the U.S. assessment was unfinished. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the U.S. had 'crossed a very big red line,' the time for diplomacy was over and Iran had the right to defend itself. Here is a look at the global reaction: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was 'gravely alarmed' by the use of force by the United States. 'There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control — with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,' he said in a statement on the social media platform X. 'I call on Member States to de-escalate.' 'There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy.' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned of escalation beyond the Middle East as he called for all sides to negotiate a diplomatic end to the crisis, saying stability was the priority in the volatile region. The U.K., along with the European Union, France and Germany, tried unsuccessfully to broker a diplomatic solution in Geneva last week with Iran. Starmer said Iran's nuclear program posed a grave threat to global security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the U.S. has taken action to alleviate that threat,' Starmer said. Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of President Vladimir Putin's Security Council, said several countries were prepared to supply Tehran with nuclear weapons. He didn't specify which countries, but said the U.S. attack caused minimal damage and would not stop Tehran from pursuing nuclear weapons. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it 'strongly condemned' the airstrikes and called them a 'a gross violation of international law, the U.N. Charter, and U.N. Security Council resolutions.' The Iraqi government condemned the U.S. strikes, saying the military escalation created a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East. It said it poses serious risks to regional stability and called for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis. 'The continuation of such attacks risks dangerous escalation with consequences that extend beyond the borders of any single state, threatening the security of the entire region and the world,' government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in the statement. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi warned of 'grave repercussions' for expanding the Middle East conflict and urged a return to negotiations. Saudi Arabia, which previously condemned Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leaders, expressed 'deep concern' about the U.S. airstrikes, but stopped short of condemning them. 'The Kingdom underscores the need to exert all possible efforts to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation,' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Qatar, which is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, said it 'regrets' escalating tensions in the Israel-Iran war. Its Foreign Ministry in a statement urged all parties to show restraint and 'avoid escalation, which the peoples of the region, burdened by conflicts and their tragic humanitarian repercussions, cannot tolerate.' Qatar has served as a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas war. Both the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas condemned the U.S. strikes. The Houthi political bureau in a statement called on Muslim nations to join 'the Jihad and resistance option as one front against the Zionist-American arrogance.' Hamas and the Houthis are part of Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance, a collection of pro-Iranian proxies stretching from Yemen to Lebanon that for years gave the Islamic Republic considerable power across the region. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the U.S. bombing could lead to a regional conflict that no country could bear and called for negotiations. 'Lebanon, its leadership, parties, and people, are aware today, more than ever before, that it has paid a heavy price for the wars that erupted on its land and in the region,' Aoun said in a statement on X. 'It is unwilling to pay more.' Pakistan blasted the U.S. strikes as a 'deeply disturbing' escalation just days after it nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic intervention with the India-Pakistan crisis. 'These attacks violate all norms of international law,' the government said in a statement. 'Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the U.N. Charter.' China condemned U.S. strikes on Iran, calling them a serious violation of international law that further inflamed tensions in the Middle East. In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged all parties — especially Israel — to implement a cease-fire and begin dialogue. 'China is willing to work with the international community to pool efforts together and uphold justice, and contribute to the work for restoring peace and stability in the Middle East,' the ministry said. The European Union's top diplomat said Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, but she urged those involved in the conflict to show restraint. 'I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on social media. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Iran's nuclear facilities 'represented a danger for the entire area' but hoped the action could lead to de-escalation in the conflict and negotiations. Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris called the U.S. airstrikes 'an extraordinarily dangerous escalation of a conflict that already best be described as a tinderbox.' Ireland, which has been especially critical of Israel's war in Gaza, echoed other European calls for negotiations that would prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. 'We're now entering a moment of particular danger,' Harris said. 'The chances now of a spiral of escalation are more likely than ever before, and there is a real prospect now of the international community losing all control of this very, very volatile conflict.' Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia's government endorsed the U.S. strikes. 'We support action to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon and that is what this is,' she said. Her remarks to Channel Nine news Monday were firmer than an official statement supplied Sunday by her government immediately after the strikes that stopped short of backing them. 'Ultimately we want to see de-escalation and diplomacy,' Wong said. She would not say whether Australian satellite communications or signals intelligence were employed by the United States. Both countries are members of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing partnership. But Wong said the U.S. had been clear that 'this was a unilateral strike.' Left-wing Latin American governments expressed fierce opposition to the U.S. strikes. Iran-allied Venezuela called the attacks 'illegal, unjustifiable and extremely dangerous.' Colombian President Gustavo Petro said they were an insult to the Middle East. Chile's President Gabriel Boric said they violated 'rules we have established as humanity.' Mexico's Foreign Ministry made 'an urgent call for peace.' In contrast, Argentina's libertarian President Javier Milei, a loyal ally of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, praised the attacks on social media. 'Terrorism, never again,' his spokesperson said. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters it was crucial to calm the situation as soon as possible, adding that Iranian nuclear weapons development also must be prevented. He declined to comment on whether he supported the U.S. attacks on Iran. Vietnam called on parties to continue negotiation efforts and respect humanitarian law and International Atomic Energy Agency regulations. 'Vietnam is deeply concerned about the escalating and complex conflict in the Middle East, which poses a serious threat to the lives and safety of civilians, as well as to regional and global peace and stability,' Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said in the statement. Thailand called on all parties to immediately stop all acts of violence and seek a peaceful resolution. 'Thailand expresses its grave concern over the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, particularly in light of the recently intensified attacks and expansion of conflict by other parties, which pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability and risk further escalation, all of which is dangerous and affecting countless civilians," the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Pope Leo XIV made a strong appeal for peace during his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square, calling for international diplomacy to 'silence the weapons.' After an open reference to the 'alarming' situation in Iran, the first American pontiff stressed that 'today more than ever, humanity cries out and invokes peace and it is a cry that demands reason and must not be stifled.'
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Iran issues stark warning to Trump ‘the gambler': We will end this war
Iran said on Monday that the US attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called President Donald Trump a 'gambler' for joining Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters, said the US should expect heavy consequences for its actions. 'Mr Trump, the gambler, you may start this war, but we will be the ones to end it,' Zolfaqari said in English at the end of a recorded video statement. Advertisement 3 President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) sit in the Situation Room as they monitor the mission that took out three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, at the White House on June 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Getty Images Iran and Israel traded air and missile strikes as the world braced for Tehran's response to the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites over the weekend, which Trump suggested could lead to the overthrow of the Iranian government. Commercial satellite imagery indicated Saturday's attack on Iran's Fordow nuclear plant far underground had severely damaged or destroyed the site and the uranium-enriching centrifuges it housed, but its status remained unconfirmed, experts said. Advertisement In his latest social media comments on the US strikes, Trump said: 'Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran.' 'The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!' he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump earlier called on Iran to forgo any retaliation and said the government 'must now make peace' or future attacks would be 'far greater and a lot easier', fuelling global concern about further escalation of conflict in the Middle East. 3 The Iranian Army media office on June 23, 2025, shows the Army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami (C) speaking during a meeting in the Iranian Army's War Command Room. Iranian Army Media Office/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement The US launched 75 precision-guided munitions including bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles against three Iranian nuclear sites, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, told reporters. The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the US strikes. Rafael Grossi, the agency's director general, told CNN that it was not yet possible to assess the damage done underground. 3 A map of the US bombings on Iran's nuclear facilities. Toni Misthos/NY Post Design Advertisement A senior Iranian source told Reuters that most of the highly enriched uranium at Fordow had been moved elsewhere before the attack. Reuters could not immediately corroborate the claim. Tehran, which denies its nuclear programme is for anything other than peaceful purposes, launched a volley of missiles towards Israel in the aftermath of the US attack, wounding scores of people and destroying buildings in Tel Aviv. But it has not acted on its main options for retaliation, to attack US bases or choke off the 20% of global oil shipments that pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Attempting to strangle the Strait could send global oil prices skyrocketing, derail the world economy, and invite conflict with the US Navy's massive Fifth Fleet based in nearby Bahrain. Oil prices jumped on Monday to their highest since January. Brent crude futures were up $1.11 or 1.44% to $78.12 a barrel as of 0653 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude advanced $1.08 or 1.45% to $74.87.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
How Iran Could Close the Strait of Hormuz
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Iranian lawmakers have said blocking the strategic Strait of Hormuz could be one retaliatory response to U.S. and Israeli attacks, and have given symbolic approval to the decision. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China on Sunday to press Iran against closing the Strait following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Why It Matters If the Iranian government blocks passage through the Strait, Asian markets are expected to be most hit, but American markets will be too, with energy prices likely to rise. Oil prices jumped on Monday to their highest since January following the U.S. strikes. Located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, connecting to the wider Indian Ocean, the chokepoint on one of the world's busiest maritime routes is vital to global energy security and it handles roughly 20 percent of global oil trade. In this photo released by the Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, a missile is launched from a boat during a naval drill in the Persian Gulf, Iran. In this photo released by the Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, a missile is launched from a boat during a naval drill in the Persian Gulf, Iran. Iranian Revolutionary Guard/AP What To Know Since 2019, Iran has repeatedly used the Strait of Hormuz to apply pressure. In June 2019, it was accused of attacking two oil tankers with limpet mines. It also seized the British-flagged Stena Impero in retaliation for Britain detaining an Iranian tanker near Gibraltar. In 2023, units of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps briefly seized oil tankers in Gulf waters, prompting U.S. naval deployments. That demonstrated Iran's ability to target shipping. The strait is little over 20 miles wide at its narrowest point and while it could not be closed in the traditional sense, Iran could make it too dangerous for ships to pass — so that shipping companies and their insurers would stop According to one lawmaker, Seyyed Ali Yazdi Khah, speaking before the U.S. strikes, Iran would be compelled to shut down the Strait to "protect its national interest," in the face of "global arrogance" from the U.S. and the West, Mehr News Agency reported earlier this week. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said an average of 20 million barrels per day—around one fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption—moved through the waterway in 2024 and that volume has remained stable through the first quarter of 2025. Iran's Options H.I. Sutton, an independent and open-source intelligence analyst, outlined several scenarios for disruption on his YouTube channel. One feasible option is mining the strait. Bottom sea mines are placed on the seabed and designed to detonate when a ship passes nearby. Iran could also employ anti-ship ballistic missiles—a method used by its allied Yemeni Houthis since 2023 to disrupt Red Sea traffic. The IRGC has drone carriers, fast attack boats, and Ghadir-class submarines—small, short-range vessels capable of launching torpedoes and laying mines. Sutton noted that despite limited lethal power, Iran's numerous platforms and long-range strike ability pose a serious deterrent. Iran has been conducting large-scale naval drills in the region, including with Chinese and Russian naval vessels, signaling broader strategic coordination and an additional challenge for the U.S. and Western allies. But Iran would need to operate carefully in the Strait to avoid disrupting Chinese oil shipments, a lifeline for its economy and a cornerstone of its strategic partnership with Beijing. What People Are Saying U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Fox Business Sunday Morning Futures: "Well, I would encourage the Chinese Government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil. If they do that, it'll be another terrible mistake. It's economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that. But other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries' economies a lot worse than ours. It would be, I think, a massive escalation that would merit a response not just by us but from others." Marko Papic, chief strategist at BCA Research, told Newsweek: "Oil prices would likely double, to well above $100. The extent to which that price shock would be sustainable is unclear." U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in a report last week: "Saudi Arabia and the UAE have some infrastructure in place that can bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which may somewhat mitigate any transit disruptions through the strait." What Happens Next Iran has signaled that there will be a response to U.S. strikes, but has not said exactly what yet and whether that would include targeting shipping in the Strait or Hormuz.
