With the US and Israel jointly carrying out strikes on Iran and Tehran retaliating with attacks on US assets in the Persian Gulf, the UK said it will deploy fighter jets for regional defensive operations.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the British forces and planes were coordinating defensive efforts to protect the country's interests and clarified that it was not participating in the strikes against Iran.
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"Our forces are active and British planes are in the sky today as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies, as Britain has done before, in line with international law," Starmer said in a video posted on X, adding that the UK has increased security for British bases and personnel to their highest level.
Starmer said Iran can end this conflict now by giving up their nuclear weapons programmes and stop the "appalling violence and repression" against its citizens.
The UK PM asserted that Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and that it is a priority for Britain and its allies.
His statement came after he chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee on Saturday morning. "We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict," a UK government representative said, reiterating Britain's support for a negotiated solution.