Sir Keir Starmer has been told to stand up to Iran or Britain will be its next target. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, suggested Tehran’s weapons of mass destruction could one day be aimed at the UK as he attempted to persuade Britain to support his country.
Mr Herzog’s call comes as it remains unclear whether Britain would join any military action in the Middle East. There has been speculation US involvement could require use of the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. So far the Prime Minister has said there is a “real risk of escalation” in the conflict and urged all sides to seek a diplomatic outcome.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is meeting counterparts from Iran, France, Germany and the EU in Geneva today (June 20) as diplomatic efforts to reach a cessations of hostilities between Iran and Israel ramp up. It comes after Mr Lammy met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC yesterday.
Mr Herzog, speaking at the presidential palace in Jerusalem, said: “There are things Britain cannot turn a blind eye to. It’s obvious.
“I think the British leadership should not only look at demonstrations or comments. We have to show them clear moral clarity.”
He told The Sun that Israel is fighting a war which will protect the UK in the foreseeable future, asking why would Iran have missiles that could reach London.
The Israeli president said: “Why? If London is not an enemy, then why?” Mr Herzog said it was “now or never” to stop Iran, claiming the next targets will be in Europe.
Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies. This could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily.
Sir Keir said on Thursday: “It’s very clear: yes, we need to deal with the nuclear programme, there’s no doubt about that in my mind, but it is better dealt with as a negotiated outcome. De-escalate and get to that point.
“There have been several rounds of discussions with the US. That, to me, is the way to resolve this issue.”
Meanwhile, two Labour backbenchers pushed for a “fresh, tough approach” to Tehran. Jon Pearce and Mike Tapp, chairman and vice-chairman respectively of Labour Friends of Israel, said the UK urgently needed “a multi-faceted diplomatic, economic and national security plan to guard against the Iranian threat and force the regime to change course”.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the pair called for tighter sanctions on Iran, the proscription of the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and a “comprehensive diplomatic solution” which “eliminates once and for all” Iran’s nuclear threat.
Tehran has repeatedly said its nuclear programme is peaceful and Iran is not pursuing the development of nuclear weapons, which Israel is widely believed to have among its own arsenal.
