UK not 'getting dragged' into Middle East conflict, PM Starmer reiterates
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media on the situation in the Middle East, at Downing Street in central London on March 16, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
The British prime minister on Monday reiterated that the United Kingdom was not "getting dragged" into the Middle East conflict, citing national interest.
"I will always make decisions that are in the national interest. It’s why we aren’t getting dragged into the Middle East conflict, and why we are fighting to protect your living standards," Keir Starmer said on X.
I will always make decisions that are in the national interest.
It’s why we aren’t getting dragged into the Middle East conflict, and why we are fighting to protect your living standards.
And while opposition parties have responded by dividing communities, we respond with hope…Pressing opposition parties over their stance on the ongoing Iran war, he said the Labour party government responds with "hope and pride".
Last week, Starmer said that there is a "clear difference" in opinion between him and United States President Donald Trump.
"My own view is that a lot of what is said and done has been to put pressure on me to change my mind, but I'm not going to do so," he told Sky News.
Meanwhile, the prime minister will chair an emergency COBRA meeting on Tuesday on the Iran war.
He is also expected to hold a roundtable with energy executives later today.
Read More: US could meet Iran war objectives in weeks, says Rubio
His remarks came amid turmoil in ties between the two transatlantic allies as the US president renewed his criticism of the UK for refusing to allow the US military access to British bases for the US and Israel's initial strike on Iran on February 28.
The UK eventually allowed them access for "defensive" action as Iran fired missiles and drones all over the Gulf, but Starmer has since stressed that the UK will not join the Iran war.
Regional escalations have continued to rage since Israel and the US launched an offensive against Iran on Feb 28, killing more than 1,900 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.