Sir Keir Starmer has called for restraint after Donald Trump launched US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The Prime Minister said Iran’s nuclear programme is a “grave threat” which the US military action would “alleviate”.
There was no British involvement in the action but the Government was informed in advance of the strikes, which involved B-2 stealth bombers and submarine-launched missiles.
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary David Lammy had sought to persuade Mr Trump’s administration from holding off on joining Israel in striking Iran, arguing for de-escalation and a diplomatic process.
But Mr Trump pushed ahead with the action anyway, which he claimed had “completely and fully obliterated” key nuclear facilities.
The Prime Minister said: “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.”
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.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 22, 2025
The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call…
Sir Keir will chair a meeting of the Government’s Cobra crisis committee on Sunday afternoon.
Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds would not say the UK supported the military action nor whether he believed the US strikes were legal.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg if the US action was a good thing, he said: “The outcome. It isn’t the means by which anyone in the British Government would have wanted to see this occur.”
Pushed on whether the US strike was legal, he said: “It is where we are today.”
He said it would be “naive” to think the risk of Iranian-backed terrorism in the UK will not increase as a result of the US and Israeli action.
The Business Secretary told Sky News: “This is not hypothetical. There is not a week goes by without some sort of Iranian cyber attack on a key part of UK critical national infrastructure.
“There is Iranian activity on the streets of the UK, which is wholly unacceptable.”
He added: “It’s already at a significant level. I think it would be naive to say that that wouldn’t potentially increase.”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 22, 2025
The US attacked Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz which are linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.
The Tehran regime has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful but its uranium enrichment process has gone far beyond what is required for power stations.
In an address to the nation from the White House, Mr Trump warned there could be further strikes if Iran retaliates: “There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran.”
The strikes followed a build-up of US military equipment, with B-2 stealth bombers – which are the only aircraft to carry a 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb – reportedly used to target the underground facilities.
The aircraft have previously used the UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia, one of the Chagos Islands, but it is understood that was not involved in these strikes.
The attack on Iran also involved US submarines, which launched around 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of #Iran concerning the #UnitedStates military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities
— Foreign Ministry, Islamic Republic of Iran 🇮🇷 (@IRIMFA_EN) June 22, 2025
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the… pic.twitter.com/GhSjSTtzx2
Mr Trump’s move towards military action came despite Sir Keir’s pleas for diplomacy and his repeated calls for de-escalation.
On Thursday the Prime Minister warned of a “real risk of escalation” in the conflict, adding there had previously been “several rounds of discussions” with Washington and “that, to me, is the way to resolve this issue”.
The Foreign Secretary urged the US to pull back from the brink on a visit to Washington for talks with counterpart Marco Rubio before heading to talks with Iran on Friday alongside European allies.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “By targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, the US has taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK.
“Iranian operatives have plotted murders and attacks on British soil. We should stand firmly with the US and Israel.”
By targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, the US has taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 22, 2025
Iranian operatives have plotted murders and attacks on British soil.
We should stand firmly with the US and Israel.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also backed Mr Trump’s decision to strike Iran.
He said: “Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons, the future of Israel depends on it.”
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said “robust diplomacy” was now needed to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat, adding: “Following the US strikes, it is essential that we work to de-escalate the conflict and achieve that diplomatic solution.”
Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney called for diplomacy, saying the Middle East conflict has reached “an alarmingly greater level of danger after the US attacks on Iran”.
Iran launched a ballistic missile barrage against Israel in retaliation to the US action.
The foreign ministry in Tehran issued a statement condemning “the United States’ brutal military aggression against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities”.
It added: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is resolved to defend Iran’s territory, sovereignty, security and people by all force and means against the United States’ criminal aggression.”
