Keir Starmer sends pressing warning to Israel over Lebanon strikes as stress mounts

Keir Starmer has ramped up pressure on Israel to stop its strikes on Lebanon as he warned of a “devastating” crisis in the country as he gave a statement to MPs

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Keir Starmer has ramped up pressure on Israel to stop its strikes on Lebanon as he warned of a “devastating” crisis in the country.

The Prime Minister said the Middle East “remains on the edge” as a ceasefire brokered by the US, Israel and Iran is “highly fragile”. He reiterated his demands for Lebanon to be “urgently” included in the agreement.

And Mr Starmer slapped down Donald Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz saying the UK wants the vital shipping route to be “open, not shut”. He said the UK is “not supporting the blockade” and repeated his position that the UK “is not getting dragged into” the Iran war.

In a statement lasting nearly two hours in Parliament, the PM told the Commons the UK must meet the challenge of the volatile world “calmly but with strength”.

He said the Strait has been “shamefully exploited by Iran” during the conflict and said Gulf leaders that he met last week were “crystal clear that freedom of navigation is vital and must be restored”.

READ MORE: 6 key points from Keir Starmer statement warning the world ‘has utterly changed’

He told MPs: “Whilst the ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran is undeniably welcome, it is also highly fragile. The region remains on edge, and a lot of work is required to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, to de-escalate the situation, leading to a sustainable ceasefire.

“In pursuit of that goal, we call for Lebanon to be included urgently in the ceasefire. Diplomacy is the right path, and I welcome the talks taking place this week. Hezbollah must disarm, but I’m equally clear Israel’s strikes are wrong. They are having devastating humanitarian consequences and pushing Lebanon into a crisis.”

The PM’s cool-headedness was contrasted by erratic Mr Trump’s continued hostile and violent threats in the region.

The US President on Monday afternoon began his own blockade of Iranian ports, deepening the global economic impact from the Middle East crisis.

In an extraordinary showdown, Mr Trump warned Iranian naval ships approaching the US blockade will be “eliminated” using the same “quick and brutal” method to destroy drug dealers’ boats.

A notice to mariners issued by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency, which monitors maritime security, said the restrictions included “the entirety of the Iranian coastline, including ports and energy infrastructure.”

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president wrote: “Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated – 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, ‘fast attack ships,’ because we did not consider them much of a threat. Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea.“It is quick and brutal. PS 98.2% of Drugs coming into the US by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT”.

Ebrahim Rezaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, dismissed US warnings of a potential blockade as “more bluffing than reality,” while warning that Tehran was prepared to respond if the situation escalates militarily.

Asked whether the UK will support a US military blockade – for instance with British minesweepers in the region – Mr Starmer told BBC Radio 5: “We’re not supporting the blockade.”

He said any UK diplomatic or political efforts, as well as minesweeping capabilities in the region, are “all focused from our point of view on getting the Straits fully open”. He added: “The reason for that is because that’s the way we get energy prices down as quickly as possible.

The UK and France will co-host a summit this week “to drive forward the international effort” to end the conflict and unblock the Strait.

The PM has repeatedly said full freedom of navigation must be restored on the shipping route with no conditions or tolls.

Iran’s chokehold on the vital shipping lane, which transports around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, has sent gas prices spiralling. Oil prices spiked back to more than 100 US dollars (£74) a barrel after US peace talks with Iran broke down and the US president made his belligerent threat to prevent ships leaving from this afternoon.

The war could leave the average UK household £480 worse off over the current financial year than if the conflict had not happened, the Resolution Foundation think tank has warned.

In the Commons, MPs challenged Mr Starmer on what action the UK is taking to de-escalate the situation, including in Lebanon.

Emily Thornberry, chair of the foreign affairs’ committee, told the Prime Minister her “blood ran cold” over Israel’s threat to follow “the model in Gaza” in Lebanon as she asked what the UK is doing to ensure a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Lebanese, Israeli and US officials are due to hold talks in Washington on Tuesday. Confusion erupted last week after Iran insisted Lebanon had been included in a ceasefire agreement, while the US and Israel said it was not.

Elsewhere, Mr Starmer insisted the UK’s defence investment plan was being finalised after long delays.

He told MPs: “It’s really important that we don’t make the mistakes that the last government made. We inherited plans which were unfunded and not deliverable and it’s really important, therefore, that our plan is robust. We’re finalising it, but it will be a robust plan that serves for the future of defence and protection of this country.”

Deputy PM David Lammy has travelled to the US where he was on Monday expected to meet US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rachel Reeves will on travel to Washington DC on Tuesday to discuss the economic impact of the Middle East crisis at a crunch summit.