Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday urged Donald Trump not to attack Iran’s nuclear sites as he warned that the war with Israel could spiral beyond the Middle East.
Amid a growing expectation of US air strikes on Iran and a widening rift between Washington and London, the Prime Minister repeated his call for “de-escalation”.
The attempts to defuse the crisis contrasted with the US president’s increasingly bellicose language and him reportedly having already signed off air strikes on Iran, likely to be done with B2 Spirit stealth bombers loaded with GBU-57 bunker-busting bombs.
But with Trump believed not yet to have made a final decision on US military intervention, Sir Keir said: “Obviously all of us, UK included, are very concerned about the nuclear programme that Iran is developing, we’ve long been concerned about that.
“Also, completely recognise Israel’s right to self-defence, but the principle is that we need to de-escalate this.
“There’s a real risk of escalation here that will impact the region, possibly beyond the region, akin to Gaza, and obviously it’s already having an impact on the economy.
“So I’ve been absolutely clear we need to de-escalate this. Yes, the nuclear issue has to be dealt with, but it’s better dealt with by way of negotiations than by way of conflict.”
Earlier, Israel’s main southern hospital sustained a direct hit Thursday from an Iranian missile, with officials reporting “extensive damage” after Tehran launched what appeared to be its biggest wave of airstrikes in a couple of days.
A spokesperson for the Soroka Medical Centre in Beer Sheba said people had been wounded in the attack.
The hospital requested people not come for treatment except in life-threatening cases and to stay away from the area due to concerns about a "leak of hazardous material".
Videos on social media showed large plumes of smoke, smashed windows and people screaming as they walked through a hospital corridor.
Iran just hit Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva with a ballistic missile.
— Sharren Haskel השכל שרן (@SharrenHaskel) June 19, 2025
Not a military base. A hospital.
This is the main medical center for Israel’s entire Negev region.
Deliberate. Criminal. Civilian target.
The world must speak out. pic.twitter.com/51rNdOp5Kv
The facility has over 1,000 beds and provides services to the approximately one million residents of Israel’s south, according to the hospital’s website.
In a post on X, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: "This morning, Iran's terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at a civilian population in the centre of the country.
"We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran."
An Israeli military official said "dozens" of ballistic missiles had been fired at the country and at least 65 people had been injured.
Iran said the target in Beersheba was what it said was a military target near the hospital but Sharren Haskel, the Israeli deputy foreign affairs minister, accused Iran of deliberately targeting Soroka.
The strike came as Israel attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian state television said on Thursday.
Israel had warned earlier on Thursday morning it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area.
The Israeli military said Thursday’s round of airstrikes targeted Tehran and other areas of Iran, without elaborating. It later said Iran fired a new salvo of missiles at Israel and told the public to take shelter.
Israel’s seventh day of airstrikes on Iran came as Trump was reported by US media to have approved plans to attack Iran, but has not made a final decision on whether to strike the country.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them”.
Israel and Iran have exchanged fire over the past seven days after airstrikes which Tel Aviv said were aimed at preventing Tehran developing a nuclear weapon.
A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds.
