Starmer also said that any attempt to reopen the Strait of Hormuz needed careful consideration and a viable plan [GETTY]
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday there had been no assessment that mainland Britain was being targeted by Iran.
“We carry out assessments all the time in order to keep us safe, and there’s no assessment that we’re being targeted in that way,” Starmer told reporters.
He was asked if Britain could be targeted by Iran after reports at the weekend that Iran had fired two ballistic missiles at the US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Starmer also said that any attempt to reopen the Strait of Hormuz needed careful consideration and a viable plan, and that his number one priority was to protect British interests and de-escalate.
British cabinet minister Steve Reed also said on Sunday that there was no assessment that backed claims Iran is planning to strike Europe with ballistic missiles, or that it even has the capacity to do so.
On Saturday, the Israeli army posted on social media that Iran has missiles “that can reach London, Paris or Berlin”.
“There is no assessment to substantiate what’s being said,” British Housing Secretary Reed told the BBC.
“I’m not aware of any assessment at all that they are even trying to target Europe, let alone that they could if they tried.”
In a separate interview with Sky News, Reed said that US President Trump spoke for himself when he threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
Asked to define Britain’s position on Trump’s deadline, Reed said: “The US president is perfectly capable of speaking for himself and defending what it is that he’s saying.”
“We’re not going to be dragged into the war, but we will protect our own interests in the region. We will work with our allies to de-escalate the situation.”
