Drone and missile strikes by Iran against the United Arab Emirates have been condemned by the prime minister as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz ramped up once again.
Sir Keir Starmer demanded an end to the escalation, following attacks between the US and Iran in the critical waterway on Monday – testing an already fragile ceasefire that took hold in early April.
The PM urged Iran to engage “meaningfully” in peace talks to ensure the current Middle East ceasefire was maintained.
Meanwhile, a US military commander said American forces were helping restore the flow of international shipping while Iran was doing all it could to “terrorise and threaten” vessels.
Admiral Brad Cooper, who heads up central command, said his military had “the clear advantage” with an “enormous amount of capability and firepower” in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
His comments came as the US said two US-flagged cargo ships passed through the critical waterway as part of a push by President Donald Trump to reopen the maritime pinch point, over which Iran has imposed a stranglehold.
The effective closure of the vital supply line for oil and gas has inflicted a global economic shock and sent energy prices soaring.
However, the move to restore the sea route and free some 2,000 vessels stranded in the stand-off has shaken the fragile ceasefire in the region.
The United Arab Emirates said it came under attack for the first time since the truce took hold in early April.
An Iranian drone strike triggered a fire at a key oil facility, while it was reported two cargo vessels were on fire off the country’s coast.
Starmer said: “The UK condemns the drone and missile strikes targeting the United Arab Emirates. As I set out during my visit to the region last month, stability in the Gulf directly affects the UK.
“We stand in solidarity with the UAE and will continue to support the defence of our partners in the Gulf.
“This escalation must cease. Iran needs to engage meaningfully in negotiations to ensure the ceasefire in the Middle East endures, and a long-term diplomatic solution is achieved.”
Admiral Cooper said: “We have defeated each and every one of those threats through the clinical application of defensive munitions.”
He said rather than providing traditional escorts to vessels the US had put in place “a much broader defensive package”.
He also pointed out a blockade of Iranian ports remained in place to prevent oil shipments.
Iran imposed its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz – through which around a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped – in response to a campaign of airstrikes launched by the US and Israel on February 28.
These strikes were launched over Iran’s purported ambitions to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran denies this claim and says it is only enriching uranium for civilian purposes, but the United Nations watchdog has been unable to verify these claims.
Following weeks of economic disruption, Trump announced that the US had imposed a blockade of its own on Iranian ports.
The US military said it had destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran as violence flared up on Sunday.
However, Tehran disputes that six of its vessels were sunk and again warned that all shipping must have the Islamic Republic’s permission to transit the strait.
Major general Ali Abdollahi told state TV: “We warn that any foreign military force – especially the aggressive US military – that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted.”
Despite the continuing impasse in the Gulf and the threat of fresh hostilities, Trump insisted it was “working out very nicely”.
Speaking to small business leaders at the White house, the US president again insisted that Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
He said: “They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment. They have no radar, they have no nothing.”
Over the weekend Trump said he was considering a new Iranian proposal to end the war but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal.
Trump described it as a mini-war “because that’s all they are”. Referring to the spike in oil prices, he added: “I see it going down very substantially when this is over.”
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