London (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged Iran to “return to the negotiating table” following the US airstrikes on nuclear sites in the nation overnight.
On Saturday night, the US claimed it had launched strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, including Natanz, Isfahan and Fordo. This move followed Israel’s launch of a new operation against Iran, which began overnight and continued into 13 June. Israel stated its targets were military sites, including nuclear facilities.
How has the UK responded to US strikes on Iran?
In a statement on X, Starmer stated stability in the region was a preference, depicting Iran’s nuclear programme as “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,”
Starmer also said.
He further said,
“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…
Did the US request UK support for airstrikes?
Furthermore, as reported by Reuters, according to senior minister Jonathan Reynolds, the UK didn’t receive a US request to use its Diego Garcia base for the US strikes on Iran. Still, it was informed ahead of the strike on Sunday.
Reynolds stated that the UK had deployed military assets to the region and would take whatever action was needed to defend its key allies if they were threatened. He also mentioned that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in talks with allies on Sunday.
“No request was made,”
the business and trade minister told Sky News.
“I know often because of British military assets, RAF Akrotiri (in Cyprus) or Diego Garcia, sometimes that request is made. And this was not a situation where that request was made”.
Reynolds also said that the UK had been informed of the strike.
“I can’t tell you exactly when we did know, but we were informed, as you might expect,”
he stated.
Responding to the US move overnight, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch stated:
“By targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, the US has taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK.”
“The risk of escalation in the region is obvious,”
he said at the time.
