UK will do ‘all we can’ to support US-Iran ceasefire as he heads to Gulf

Prime minister to discuss efforts to uphold ceasefire with Gulf allies
Sir Keir Starmer is set to travel to the Gulf on Wednesday to meet allies in the region and discuss diplomatic efforts to “support and uphold” the ceasefire deal between the US and Iran .

The prime minister welcomed the news of the agreement reached between Washington and Tehran overnight, saying it will “bring a moment of relief to the region and the world”.

Donald Trump announced the conditional two-week ceasefire in a social media post at around midnight, following his threats to destroy Iranian civilian infrastructure if a deal was not reached by Tuesday night.

Speaking ahead of his visit, which is understood to have been planned before the ceasefire was announced, Sir Keir said: “Together with our partners, we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz .”
No 10 said Sir Keir will travel to the Gulf on Wednesday to meet leaders of countries who have been on the front line in recent weeks, where he will reiterate “unwavering UK support”.

His first stop will be to visit British and local military personnel in the region to thank them for their service.

The trip will also involve the prime minister holding talks to ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains permanent and “protect the UK and global economy from further threats”.

In a social media post around midnight, Donald Trump announced the ceasefire as a "big day for world peace".

"The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz.

There will be lots of positive action!

Big money will be made,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump had threatened to destroy Iran ’s bridges and power plants and warned earlier on Tuesday “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if Tehran did not meet his deadline.

But less than two hours before his deadline passed for Iran to agree a deal, the US president said he was suspending his threat to widen the military offensive to power plants and bridges, subject to the strait reopening.

Both the US and Iran have framed the ceasefire as a victory, with the announcement bringing oil prices plummeting below $100 for the first time in days.

Former national security adviser Lord Peter Ricketts said the war had been a “huge wake up call” for Britain, and warned the government must now “completely forget” the idea of a special relationship between the UK and US.

“The idea of a special relationship we should now completely forget.

It’s a transactional relationship with Washington as with every other country,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He said that while he believes officials behind the scenes will still be working together, relations at a top level have been “incredibly difficult and choppy”.

“I think we do have to rethink the idea that the US is a reliable trustworthy ally on which we can depend in the longer term,” he said.

“We’ve got to get closer to the Europeans we’ve got to work out how we live in a world where American interest has moved away from Europe and we can no longer rely on the kind of relationship we’ve had with America for my 50 years of involvement in foreign affairs.”
Crime minister Sarah Jones said the government is “relieved” by the news of the ceasefire, but warned that securing a lasting peace “will be difficult”.

“The detail of that ceasefire is yet to be seen.

Of course, we want to see a lasting peace, but there will be challenges,” she told Sky News.

“The negotiations will be difficult, particularly when it comes to the nuclear assets in Iran.

Opening up the Straits is hard in terms of making sure the shipping companies, the insurers, are confident that they can get through.

So none of these things are easy.”
She confirmed that the UK is “not playing a role in those peace negotiations”, adding that Pakistan has played a leading role.

On Iran potentially gaining nuclear capabilities, she said the UK has “always been very uncomfortable" with this and added: “Our position on nuclear hasn’t changed.”
It is understood that Yvette Cooper spoke with US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the hours after Donald Trump warned that “a whole civilisation will die”.

The foreign secretary and Mr Rubio on Tuesday evening discussed international efforts and diplomatic measures to open the Strait of Hormuz, including a UK-led meeting which brought together more than 40 countries to pursue reopening.

Ms Cooper is thought to have urged a swift end to the conflict and gave the UK’s backing to negotiations and efforts to prevent further escalation.

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