UK and allies ensuring Iran does not get nuclear weapons, Starmer says

Britain and its allies are working to ensure Iran does not develop nuclear weapons, Sir Keir Starmer has said after Donald Trump deployed a naval armada and warned time is running out for Tehran to do a deal.

The US president said on Wednesday a “massive armada” had been dispatched to the Middle East, as part of a build-up of US forces in the region.

He also warned the regime in Tehran that it must “come to the table” to make a “fair and equitable deal”, including abandoning its nuclear weapons programme, or “the next attack will be far worse”.

The fleet, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, is bigger than that assembled for the operation in Venezuela – which led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro, Mr Trump also said on his Truth Social platform.

Speaking during his visit to Beijing, the Prime Minister was asked about the situation in Iran.

Sir Keir said: “Well, the big issue, the big challenge here, is to ensure that Iran doesn’t get a nuclear programme and we all absolutely agree on that, and we’re working with allies to that end, and that is the central focus I’m doing with our allies.”

Asked if Mr Trump’s actions were right, Sir Keir said: “We all agree that ensuring that Iran doesn’t get that nuclear programme is the number one priority, and that’s what we’re working on.”

Thousands of people have been killed in recent weeks as the Iranian authorities have responded to protests in cities across the country with a brutal crackdown.

The numbers of those who have died and been injured are not easy to estimate because of an ongoing internet blackout in Iran.

US-based organisation Human Rights Activists in Iran, also known by the initials of its news agency HRANA, believes the number of confirmed deaths are 6,126, of which 5,777 were protesters.

In his social media post, Mr Trump signalled he wanted Iran to have “No nuclear weapons”.

In a sign he is willing to launch strikes at Iran, as the US did during Israel’s 12-day war with Tehran last year, the president added: “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence.

“As I told Iran once before, make a deal. They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, a major destruction of Iran.

“The next attack will be far worse. Don’t make that happen again.”