Blow For Keir Starmer As Israel Rejects His Calls To 'De-Escalate' War With Iran

People inspect a destroyed building that was hit by a missile fired from Iran, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)Israel has rejected Keir Starmer’s calls for “de-escalation” in its war with Iran.The prime minister spoke out as the conflict continued, with both sides continuing to bomb one another.Speaking en route to the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer told reporters: “Our constant message is de-escalate, and therefore everything we’re doing, all discussions we’re having are to do with de-escalation.”That message was reiterated on Sunday morning by chancellor Rachel Reeves, who told Sky News: “The PM and our allies are urging de-escalation, that is what is really critical right now – calm heads and a de-escalation of the conflict.”But on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s ambassador to the UK, made clear that was not going to happen while Iran has the ambition of building a nuclear bomb.Kuenssberg asked her: “Why won’t you heed calls from the UK and others to de-escalate, to stop?”Hovely replied: “Because de-escalation means that Iran won’t have nuclear capabilities, it’s as simple as that.“The UK has been our partner for many years, to fight Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Everyone agrees – the US, the UK, other allies – that Iran with nuclear capabilities will be devastating to the region, including the Gulf countries.”The ambassador said Iran had rejected Donald Trump’s attempts to negotiate a diplomatic solution to crisis but had refused.“We had to move fast to operate against Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” she added.Starmer confirmed on Saturday that more RAF jets have been sent to the Middle East as the war continues.He said they would provide “contingency support across the region”, but Reeves insisted this did not mean that the UK is “at war”.Related...Israel's Attack On Iran: Why The UK Is 'Very Worried' About What Comes Next'Step Back': Keir Starmer Calls For 'Restraint And Calm' After Israel Strikes IranRachel Reeves Insists The UK Is Not 'At War' Despite RAF Jets Being Sent To Middle East

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