The UK's Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has stated that he stands by his decision not to join the initial US-Israel strikes on Iran, according to a report by the BBC.
Sir Keir Starmer said that talks would be the best way forward and that the UK had the strength to stand by its values and principles, as reported by the BBC.
The UK's longstanding position is that the best way forward is a negotiated settlement with Iran where they give up their nuclear ambitions, Sir Keir added.
UK Response and Deployment
The UK is sending four additional Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar, and two Wildcat helicopters with anti-drone capabilities will arrive in Cyprus on Friday.
Defence sources said 400 additional UK personnel had been sent over the past weeks to support air defence activities across the UK's bases in Cyprus.
US-UK Relationship
US President Donald Trump has already criticised the Prime Minister for refusing to allow the use of UK bases in the initial strikes, and said he is not Winston Churchill.
Sir Keir insisted that the special relationship between the US and the UK had not been fractured, saying that the two countries are sharing intelligence on a 24/7 basis.
Repatriation Efforts
Sir Keir also announced that the first government-chartered flight for Britons stranded in the Middle East has taken off from Oman, after it was delayed due to technical issues.
More than 140,000 people in the region have registered their presence with the UK government, and the government will lay on additional charter flights in the coming days.
