'This Is Not Our War': Starmer Distances Himself From Trump's Attacks On Iran
Keir Starmer has said America and Israel’s bombing of Iran is “not our war” as he defending his approach to the conflict.
In comments which risk further angering Donald Trump, the prime minister said the UK is “not getting dragged into” the war, despite giving US jets permission to fly their missions from RAF bases.
He also repeated his claim that there is no “lawful basis” for Trump’s war or “a viable and thought-through plan” for what comes next.
His comments, while giving evidence to a committee of senior MPs, came after Trump backed down over his threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants unless they re-open the Strait of Hormuz.
The US president said his decision followed “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran over the weekend.
Starmer said: “On Iran, the principles I’ve applied throughout is that for any UK action, there must be a lawful basis, and a viable and thought-through plan. That is why we didn’t join the original offensive strikes.
“It is why we did take defensive action, collective self-defensive action on our own behalf, when it came to the work that we are doing with our allies in the region, taking missiles out that are coming from Iran. It is also why we allowed our bases to be used for the purposes of collective self-defence.
“But that’s an important divide. So collective self-defence, yes, we’ve taken appropriate action. But this is not our war, and we are not getting dragged into this war.”
Trump has made a number of outspoken attacks on Starmer since the war began more than three weeks ago.
And on Sunday, he posted on Truth Social a Saturday Night Live UK sketch which portrayed the PM as weak, indecisive and afraid of the president.
Asked how he is personally facing the challenges posed by the unpredictable president, Starmer said: “I will remain laser-focused on what is in the British national interest.
“A lot of what is said and done is undoubtedly said and done to put pressure on me, I have no doubt about that, I understand exactly what is going on.
“But I’m not going to be wavering on this. I’m the British prime minister and my job is to be absolutely focused on what is in the British national interest.
“That has served me well in recent weeks and that is the principle that I’ll continue to adhere to going forward, taking difficult decisions, notwithstanding the pressure than comes from a number of different places.”