The UK “utterly condemns” any escalation in the Middle East, a minister said after Iran launched a missile attack on a US military base in Qatar. Iran announced on state television that it had attacked forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, in retaliation to America’s strikes on its nuclear programme.
Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said the UK was monitoring the “fast-changing situation” closely and that “the UK Government utterly condemns any escalation”. “Force protection now is at its highest state across all deployed units in the Middle East,” he told the Commons.
“The additional RAF Typhoon jets announced by the Prime Minister have now arrived in the region to reinforce our posture, deter threats and reassure our partners, and I want to be clear, we will not rule out sending further capabilities if they are required,” he said. The Foreign Office had advised British nationals in Qatar to “shelter in place” after a US security alert.
Qatar, which had earlier shut its air space temporarily, said it successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported. A base in Iraq housing US troops was also targeted, but Iran did not claim credit for that attack.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy had urged Iran to “take the off ramp” and return to the negotiating table with the US. His plea came after an air raid by American B-2 stealth bombers and a salvo of submarine-launched missiles hit Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the UK has started evacuating Britons from Israel, with the first group of 63 flown back via Cyprus and due to return to the UK on Monday. The Foreign Secretary said an RAF A400 had taken the group of British nationals and that more flights will follow.
He also confirmed that one British national in Israel had been injured during Iranian missile attacks and had been offered consular support. Downing Street said “around 1,000” people had requested a seat on an evacuation flight – a quarter of the 4,000 who had registered their presence in Israel or Palestine with the Foreign Office.
The Government has withdrawn staff from its embassy in Iran and is operating “remotely”, Mr Lammy told MPs. Mr Lammy previously spoke of a two-week window for a diplomatic solution after President Donald Trump’s apparent decision last week to delay US military action.
On Monday, he said the window had “narrowed” but told MPs the need for a diplomatic solution remained. “My message for Tehran was clear, take the off ramp, dial this thing down, and negotiate with the United States seriously and immediately.
“The alternative is an even more destructive and far-reaching conflict, which could have unpredictable consequences,” he said. He also faced questions on the legality of the US strikes, but said it “must rightly be a matter for the US government in relation to their action” and added: “This was not our action. We have been clear that we were not involved.”
Earlier, Downing Street had said that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear bomb was a “good thing” for the UK, but declined to comment on whether the US strikes complied with international law. Meanwhile, Israeli jets hit targets in Tehran on Monday including the security headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and Evin Prison, the regime’s main site for detaining political prisoners and human rights activists.
In turn, Iran carried out its own strikes against cities in Israel, and sparked fears of a wider regional conflict as it accused the US of crossing “a very big red line”. Meanwhile, oil prices reached their highest level for nearly six months over fears a regional conflict could restrict supply, especially if Iran decided to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
The jump in prices prompted Mr Trump to post on his Truth Social platform: “EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I’M WATCHING! YOU’RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON’T DO IT!” Mr Lammy told MPs the Government was “closely monitoring” the energy markets and urged Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, saying a blockade would be “a monumental act of economic self-harm” and make reaching a diplomatic solution even harder.
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