The crisis brought the world to the brink of catastrophic escalation, with Trump threatening to obliterate Iran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened by just before midnight on Monday. A ceasefire was agreed little more than an hour before that deadline, which Trump had set while threatening Iran's 'whole civilisation' would die if demands were not met. Many interpreted Trump's threats, including to 'end' Iran's civilization, as a willingness to use nuclear weapons.
Tehran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has plunged global financial markets into turmoil, caused a spike in oil prices, and raised fears of increased cost of living. The shipping lane has effectively been closed to vessels, including those carrying oil and fertiliser, since the start of the conflict, leading to a rise in petrol and food prices. According to Iran's Fars news agency, oil tankers passing through the Strait were blocked again due to a ceasefire breach by Israel, which intensified attacks on Lebanon, though whether the Strait is currently open or closed to shipping remains unclear.
It is in the best interests of the US to stay in NATO and that Europe must do more to support the alliance in light of the war in Iran.
Keir Starmer was on a Spanish beach when the world came closest to a catastrophic escalation in the Middle East. He returned to Britain on Tuesday night and departed again early Wednesday for a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia and Gulf states. At the start of that trip, Starmer met UK and local personnel at an airbase in Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed fury at Starmer's reluctance to take a bigger role in the US-Israeli war on Iran, branding him 'disappointing' and 'no Churchill'. Trump spread a clip from the British version of 'Saturday Night Live' depicting Starmer as too terrified to talk to him about Iran. He has also called NATO countries, including the UK, 'cowards' for not sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK has a 'job' to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Starmer had an awkward call with Trump just hours after Trump posted a sketch mocking him as a 'coward'. The two discussed the Iran war and how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in that call. No10 downplayed tensions between Starmer and Trump, insisting their chat was 'constructive'.
According to a single source, Keir Starmer appeared to challenge the legality of the air strikes on Iran by the US and Israel. He strongly defended his refusal to allow British military bases to be used for the initial and offensive attacks on the Tehran regime. A source reported that Starmer announced late on Sunday that US forces would be allowed to operate from British bases against Iran, but only in a limited, defensive role such as targeting missile sites. He stressed on Monday that Britain was not getting involved in the US and Israeli offensive action against Iran, though the legal basis he cited for initially refusing to allow offensive strikes from UK bases has not been fully detailed.
I spent most of a conversation with Trump on Thursday night talking about a 'practical plan' to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK has allowed US forces to run 'defensive' operations from its military sites, such as Diego Garcia, and Starmer extended that to action aiming to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. According to a source, US forces were now being allowed to use UK bases to target Iranian missile sites, as part of 'collective self-defence' after Tehran attacked Gulf states and other countries, threatening British citizens. Starmer played down the prospect that Britain could be within range of Tehran's attacks after an attempted strike on the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
Downing Street welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision to 'postpone' strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure following talks with Tehran. Trump posted on Truth Social that he would delay strikes by five days following 'very good and productive conversations' with Tehran. However, Iranian state media reported that senior officials in Tehran denied any negotiations had taken place with the US, leaving the exact terms and durability of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement uncertain.
I was 'fed up' of Trump's actions impacting people's energy bills, grouping him in the same sentence as Vladimir Putin.
Reports suggest the Iranian leadership is seeking to add a toll on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, ranging between $1m and $2m per ship or $1 per barrel of oil. Keir Starmer has followed foreign secretary Yvette Cooper in calling for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without paying a tax. The leaders discussed the need for a viable plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agreed to work with others to restore freedom of navigation.
An Opinium survey found that Starmer's personal ratings improved by 11 points since the start of the strikes, though they remain low. He is due to chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee on Monday afternoon, focusing on the economic impact of the war. GB News hosts Stephen Dixon and Ellie Costello halted their programme to deliver a breaking news announcement about Starmer as he arrived in the United Arab Emirates.
I welcome the Syrian government's 'action' against IS and noted progress on counter-terrorism.
Elon Musk joined a phone call between Donald Trump and Narendra Modi about the war in Iran, according to a report. Two US officials confirmed Musk's appearance on the call to The New York Times anonymously. Modi said the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and accessible in a social media post on Tuesday. Musk has stayed uncharacteristically quiet about the Iran war on X, the social media platform he owns, and the full extent of his involvement in diplomatic efforts remains unclear.
Keir Starmer agreed with Trump's calls for European NATO members to spend more on defense, while insisting it was in US interests to stay in NATO. Trump has appeared volatile and irascible as the Iran war has failed to produce regime change or achieve tangible US goals. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed the war with Iran in talks with Starmer at Downing Street, his first UK visit since ousting Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
The Iran conflict will 'define us for a generation'.
Prior to the war, Musk's Starlink technology was vital on the ground in Iran during internet blackouts. Trump highlighted issues around Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands, which are at the centre of a diplomatic row between the UK, US and Mauritius, in a Telegraph interview.
The US-Iran ceasefire agreement was 'fragile' and that the Strait of Hormuz would need to be 'part of the solution'.
Over the past few weeks, the UK had pulled together a coalition of over 30 countries to work on a political and diplomatic plan, but also looking at military capabilities and logistics of moving vessels through the Strait.
NATO had 'kept us much safer than we would otherwise have been' and that it was in America's interest to remain a member of the alliance, but Europeans need to do more.
This Government does not believe in regime change from the skies.
I will not commit our military personnel to unlawful action.
President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes.
But it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest, that is what I’ve done and I stand by it.
I was 'very disappointed' at Sir Keir for initially refusing to allow the use of the UK-US Diego Garcia base to target Iran.
It 'took far too long' for the Prime Minister to change his mind.
Any UK action must always have a lawful basis.
It must also always have a viable and thought-through plan.
And it must be in our national interests.