Starmer makes direct call to Iran's president warning against attacking Israel
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has joined leaders from France and Germany in calling for restraint in the Middle East, as ITV News' International Editor Emma Murphy reports
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has made a direct phone call to the president of Iran urging him not to launch an attack on Israel, as Western leaders step up efforts to avoid further escalation.
The White House is warning that an assault on Israel by Iran or its proxies could come as soon as this week.
Speaking to Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday evening, Starmer warned of “a serious risk of miscalculation”, Downing Street said.
Mr Pezeshkian, who has been in office for barely a month, had vowed to make Israel “regret” an air strike on Tehran that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
It comes as several European leaders have made fresh calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, the return of hostages held by Hamas, and the "unfettered" delivery of humanitarian aid.
In a joint statement, Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz endorsed a push by the US, Qatar and Egypt to broker an agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war.
Mediators have spent months trying to get both sides to agree to a three-phase plan - in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages captured in its October 7 attack in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and Israel would withdraw from Gaza.
"The fighting must end now, and all hostages still detained by Hamas must be released. The people of Gaza need urgent and unfettered delivery and distribution of aid," the statement said.
The US, the UK, France, Germany and Italy held a call this afternoon and expressed their "full support for ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza," the leaders said in a joint statement.
They "stressed there is no further time to lose. All parties must live up to their responsibilities."
The statement also called on Iran and its allies to refrain from any retaliatory attacks that would further escalate regional tensions after the killing of two senior militants last month in Beirut and Tehran.
It continued: "We expressed our support for the defense of Israel against Iranian aggression and against attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups.
"We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place.”
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It comes as Yahya Sinwar, who took over as leader of Hamas after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, told Egyptian and Qatari mediators he is in favour of a cease-fire deal.
On Sunday, Hamas released a statement calling for any new plan for a ceasefire to be based on previous talks.
“The movement demands the mediators to present a plan to implement what they presented to the movement and agreed upon on July 2, 2024, based on Biden’s vision and the UN Security Council resolution, and to compel the occupation to do so, instead of going for further negotiation rounds or new proposals,” the statement read.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed on Thursday that it would send negotiators to talks that mediators have called for on August 15.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called remarks by Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir an "incitement to war crimes," adding "sanctions must be on our EU agenda."
In his own post on X and in media interviews, Ben-Gvir said instead of agreeing to a potential cease-fire deal, Israel should block the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza until Hamas releases all of the hostages, saying that doing so would bring the militant group to its knees.
Ben-Gvir has also repeatedly called for Israel to permanently re-occupy Gaza, rebuild Jewish settlements there and encourage the "voluntary" migration of Palestinians from the territory.
Ben-Gvir, a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition, has threatened to bring the government down if it makes too many concessions in the cease-fire talks.
Borrell called on Israel’s government to "unequivocally distance itself from these incitements to commit war crimes," and to engage "in good faith" with cease-fire negotiations mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
The United States and Israel’s other Western allies have repeatedly voiced concern about the killing of Palestinian civilians and Israeli restrictions on aid operations in the 10-month-old war. But they continue to provide vital military and diplomatic support for its offensive.
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