British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged Iran to “restrain” from attacking Israel in a phone call with Iran’s new president.
Downing Street said Sir Keir told Masoud Pezeshkian that “there is a serious risk of miscalculation and now is the time for calm and careful consideration”.
This is the first call between the British prime minister and the Iranian president since March 2021, when former British leader Boris Johnson spoke with Hassan Rouhani.
News of the 30-minute discussion came as Britain issued a joint statement with the United States, France, Italy and Germany urging Iran to stop threatening attacks against Israel.
They called on Iran to “cease its continued threats of military attacks against Israel and discuss the serious consequences for regional security if such an attack were to occur”.
During the phone call, the leaders also expressed support for “defending Israel from Iranian aggression and attacks by Iranian-backed terrorist groups.”
There are growing concerns about a wider conflict in the Middle East following the recent assassinations of senior leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas.
On Sunday, the United States confirmed dispatched a missile submarine to the area address these concerns. The submarine can carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles for striking land targets.
It also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group carrying F-35C fighter jets to speed there. The ship was already en route to the area to replace another U.S. ship.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby later said the United States shared Israel’s concerns about “the growing likelihood of an attack by Iran and its proxies, perhaps in the coming days.”
“That is why we have been in dialogue with our Israeli counterparts and other counterparts in the region,” Mr Kirby added.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the country takes the enemy’s threat seriously and that Israel is in “the best possible state of readiness for offense and defense.”
Downing Street also said on Monday that Keir Starmer had told Pezeshkian that he was “deeply concerned about the situation in the region and called on all parties to de-escalate the situation and avoid further regional confrontation”.
Iran has accused Israel of assassinating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil late last month and vowed to punish him.
Israel, which is currently waging a war in Gaza to try to destroy the group, has not commented but is widely believed to be behind the killings.
Iran’s acting foreign minister said last week that the country would Responding to Haniya’s killing at the ‘right time’ In an “appropriate” way.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a group of majority-Muslim countries, said Israel took full responsibility for the attack, which it called a “serious violation” of Iran’s sovereignty.
Ismail Haniyeh is not the only senior Hamas member to be killed recently. Israel too It was recently announced that the group’s military leader, Mohammed Deif, had been killed Air strikes were launched in the Gaza Strip last month.
The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, also in conflict with Israel, has also said it will in retaliation for the death of its senior commander Fouad Shukr.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday became the latest leader to urge Canadian citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, warning of the risk of rising tensions.
Airlines including Lufthansa, SWISS and easyJet have canceled or suspended flights to the Middle East.
