Starmer urges Trump to step back from the brink of Middle East war
Downing Street is urging Donald Trump to exercise restraint and avoid a direct strike on Iran, emphasizing the need for de-escalation.
Sir Keir Starmer and his spokesman have stressed that de-escalation is the priority, warning of a real risk of escalation in the Middle East.
The UK government is actively trying to persuade the US against launching a strike on Iran, with David Lammy set to discuss the situation with Marco Rubio in Washington.
The potential US involvement follows days of exchange of fire between Israel and Iran, with Israel stating its strikes aim to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Concerns remain about Iran's nuclear program, which the UK considers a clear threat to international peace and security, but diplomacy is advocated over conflict.
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Sky News
29 minutes ago
- Sky News
Diplomacy to end Israel-Iran conflict picks up pace - but what is its chance of success?
Diplomacy to prevent the conflict between Israel and Iran spiralling further out of control is picking up pace with the UK at its centre. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio and President Trump's chief negotiator Steve Witkoff in Washington, and flies next to Geneva. Sources close to the talks say the meeting in the US capital was positive and the Americans are seeking a diplomatic solution while retaining military action as very much an option "on the table". Mr Lammy flies to meet with Iran's foreign minister Abbas Aragchi and their French and German counterparts in Geneva on Friday. He will be taking with him a message to the Iranians from the Trump administration. Their response could be crucial in what happens next in a conflict that threatens to escalate, engulfing the region. 4:22 Israel is not involved in the talks. Israelis say Iran cannot be trusted and do not want their stunning military progress jeopardised by weeks of delaying diplomacy, fearing the Iranians will play for time. US President Donald Trump though seems willing to give the talks more time, possibly as much as two weeks before taking military action if it fails. 0:40 The talks will focus on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme and the issue of uranium enrichment. Iran has been enriching to levels that can only be used for military purposes while claiming to do so for civilian reasons. Israel and America both believe Iran cannot be trusted to enrich uranium for any purposes. But if Iran can be persuaded to give up its enrichment programme and verifiably guarantee its nuclear project can only be used for civilian purposes, a deal might be possible. That is a big if. Iran has long defended its right to enrich uranium. Israel will need a lot of persuading to call off its military offensive and if President Trump remains unconvinced by the diplomacy too, escalation including US military action seems at this stage hard to avoid.
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Reuters
Oil set to rise for third week on escalating Israel-Iran conflict
SINGAPORE, June 20 (Reuters) - Oil prices were on track to rise for the third straight week despite slipping on Friday, with investors on edge as the week-old war between Israel and Iran showed no signs of either side backing down. Brent crude futures fell $1.57 cents, or 2%, to $77.28 a barrel by 0030 GMT. On a weekly basis, it was up 3.9%. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for July - which did not settle on Thursday as it was a U.S. holiday and expires on Friday - was up 86 cents, or 1.1%, to $76. The more liquid WTI for August rose 0.7%, or 50 cents to $74. Prices jumped almost 3% on Thursday as Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran, and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight. "Oil prices remain high due to doubled tanker rates and ships avoiding the Strait of Hormuz," said Phil Flynn, analyst at The Price Futures Group. "The risk to supply is keeping them on edge while there have been no major disruptions of Iranian exports," Flynn said. Iran is the third-largest producer among members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, extracting about 3.3 million barrels per day of crude oil. About 18 million to 21 million bpd of oil and oil products move through the Strait of Hormuz along Iran's southern coast, and there is widespread concern the fighting could disrupt trade flows in a blow to supplies. There was no sign of an exit strategy from either side, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran's "tyrants" would pay the "full price" and Iran warned against a "third party" joining the attacks. The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump will decide whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks. "The "two-week deadline" is a tactic Trump has used in other key decisions. Often these deadlines expire without concrete action,.. which would see the crude oil price remain elevated and potentially build on recent gains," said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG.
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
Europeans try to coax Iran back to diplomacy, as Trump considers strikes
GENEVA, June 20 (Reuters) - European foreign ministers are set to meet their Iranian counterpart on Friday aiming to create a pathway back to diplomacy over its contested nuclear programme despite the U.S. actively considering joining Israeli strikes against Iran. Ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week and have been coordinating with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In a rare call they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. The talks will be held in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. They come after negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the U.S. negotiating strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Two diplomats said there were no great expectations for a breakthrough in Geneva, where the European Union's foreign policy chief will also attend. But they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear programme would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its programme. An Iranian official said Tehran has always welcomed diplomacy, but urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. "Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack," the official said. Prior to Israel's strikes the E3 and U.S. put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a U.N. watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks. That would be separate to them reimposing UN sanctions, known as the snapback mechanism, before October 18 when the 2015 accord expires. The Europeans are the only ones who can launch the snapback mechanism, with diplomats saying the three countries had looked to set a final deadline at the end of August to launch it. "Iran has repeatedly stated that triggering snapback will have serious consequences," the Iranian official said.
