
Keir Starmer reacts to US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites
Keir Starmer reacts to US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites
US President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites overnight, in a huge escalation of the Middle East crisis
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
(Image: Getty Images )
American B-2 stealth bombers executed overnight strikes using bunker-busting missiles, targeting Iran's Fordow nuclear site among others, in spite of worldwide calls for diplomatic resolution.
The UK is believed not to be involved in the action, following the Prime Minister's ongoing advocacy for conflict de-escalation. On Sunday morning Keir Starmer issued a statement saying: "Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.
"The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis."
In recent remarks at the G7 summit held in Canada, Mr Starmer intimated that military entanglement by the US in the Israel-Iran dispute seemed unlikely. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
"There is nothing the President said that suggests he's about to get involved in this conflict, on the contrary, the G7 statement was about de-escalation," Mr Starmer reported to journalists last Tuesday.
Donald Trump communicated via Truth Social post-midnight: "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan." Everything we know about the bombings here.
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He added: "All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow."
He also issued a warning to the Iranian regime, stating that any retaliation would be met "with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight".
President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation
(Image: Getty Images )
However, Iran vowed that the attack would have severe and long-lasting repercussions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted that the country "reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest and people".
Araghchi further stated: "The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations."
He continued: "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour."
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