The UK is prepared to take “every diplomatic step” to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons after Israeli strikes targeted the country’s nuclear facilities, Downing Street has said.
This could include reinstating sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran by triggering the “snap back” mechanism.
The UK’s priority is to prevent further escalation after the strikes and “press for a diplomatic solution”, and officials have urged Iran to keep nuclear talks going with Donald Trump, Downing Street said.
The US president called for Tehran to make a deal “before it is too late” in a post on Friday.
Sir Keir Starmer had urged “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently” after Israel launched strikes on Tehran overnight, rekindling fears of a full-scale conflict.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that Israel should expect “severe punishment” in response, and it was reported on Friday morning that drones had been launched.
No 10 said the UK did not participate in Israeli strikes overnight and would not say whether Israel had requested help.
The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 13, 2025
Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint,…
A Downing Street spokesman also refused to say whether Sir Keir had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the strikes or whether Israel had informed the UK of its plans beforehand.
“Our priority is to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, that’s in no-one’s interest … we’re working closely with all our allies to press for that diplomatic solution,” a No 10 spokesman said.
Iran’s nuclear programme is “more advanced than ever, and it is a clear threat to international peace and security”, he said.
“We’ve urged Iran to continue engaging with President Trump’s offer of a negotiated solution and we continue to liaise closely with our partners on this.
“We remain committed to finding a diplomatic solution but are prepared to take every diplomatic step to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including through snapback, if necessary.”
Sir Keir earlier said it is time for “restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy”.
“The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no-one in the region.”
The attack appeared to be the most significant Iran has faced since its war with Iraq in the 1980s.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said stability in the Middle East is “vital” for global security.
Stability in the Middle East is vital for global security.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 13, 2025
I’m concerned to see reports of strikes overnight. Further escalation is a serious threat to peace & stability in the region and in no one’s interest.
This is a dangerous moment & I urge all parties to show restraint.
“Further escalation is a serious threat to peace & stability in the region and in no-one’s interest,” he said in a post on X.
“This is a dangerous moment & I urge all parties to show restraint.”
It is understood that Mr Lammy had been due to travel to the US on Friday, but is now remaining in London.
Mr Netanyahu said on Friday morning that the “operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat”.
In a clip posted on social media, he said Israel “struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme” and “the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponisation programme”.
Iranian state television reported that the leader of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, was killed as well as chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, General Mohammad Bagheri.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Israel acted unilaterally.
In a post on X, Mr Rubio said “we are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region”.
Mr Trump said he “gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal” and warned that Israel has “a lot of” US military equipment, and they “know how to use it”.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left … JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he posted on Truth Social.
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said the UK “must use our influence and diplomacy” to deliver “stability in the Middle East”.
In a post on X, she wrote: “We must use our influence and diplomacy to work closely with all of our allies in the region and beyond to resolve conflicts, and deliver peace and stability in the Middle East.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said “warm words” would not stop Iran, and that she did not see Israel’s action as an escalation.
“If Israel sees Iran getting nuclear weapons, I don’t think it should sit back and put its feet up and say: ‘Well, we’re de-escalating’.
“Because the person, the country, that will escalate is Iran, and that would be absolutely disastrous for the entire world,” she told journalists in Scotland.
