UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sided with the United States and Israel in the war against Iran, stating that Tehran “must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.”

Mr Starmer justified his stance by citing what he described as direct threats posed by the Iranian regime on British soil. He said Jews and Iranian dissidents living in the UK were at risk of targeted attacks allegedly backed by Tehran.

“Even in the United Kingdom, the Iranian regime poses a direct threat to dissidents and to the Jewish community,” Mr Starmer said.

“Over the last year alone, they have backed more than 20 potentially lethal attacks on UK soil.

Since weeks of diplomatic negotiations to stop Iran from continuing its nuclear programme reached an impasse, President Donald Trump and the Israeli government on Saturday launched several missiles against Iran’s military bases.

The missiles reverberated across other Middle Eastern states, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, forcing airlines to suspend travel operations amid security concerns.

The Iranian government has since launched counterattacks, though the extent of the damage inflicted remains unclear.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the UK’s Starmer released a statement earlier urging Iran to “refrain from its destabilising activity in the region and our homelands and to cease the appalling violence and repression against its own people.”

“We urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future,” the three European leaders said.