UK Says It’s Not Involved in US Strikes on Iran, Urges Talks

The UK and its military assets weren’t involved in US strikes on Iran’s main nuclear sites and is calling for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

While Britain wasn’t directly involved, Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday offered tacit backing to President Donald Trump’s action, saying Iran’s nuclear program is a “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 premier said in a statement emailed by his office. “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,” he added.

Speaking for the government on Sky News, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the US didn’t request British assistance in the attack, nor use of its base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

The potential use of that base by the US in strikes on Iran had raised concerns within the UK government about whether it complies with international law.

The US did inform the UK in advance about the operation, Reynolds said.

The US decision to proceed with military action demonstrates the failure of efforts by European nations to deescalate the conflict. Foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany held talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday but were unable to persuade Trump not to go ahead.

“The safety of UK personnel and bases is my top priority. Force protection is at its highest level and we deployed additional jets this week,” UK Defense Secretary John Healey said.

Starmer will spend Sunday discussing the next steps with allies by phone, before he travels to The Hague this week for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit.

“Whilst the British government, the UK, has not been involved in these attacks, we have been making extensive preparations for all eventualities, including how we look after British nationals in the region and how we get them out, and the assets we have in the region to protect British infrastructure, British bases, British personnel if we need to do that,” Reynolds said.

“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, but we need a diplomatic process to turn this around,” he added.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.