Starmer speaks to Trump after UK joins defensive operation in Middle East

The prime minister has spoken to Donald Trump after the US and Israel launched strikes across several Iranian cities, including capital Tehran.

Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement earlier that British planes were "in the sky" in the Middle East as part of a defensive operation "to protect our people, our interests and our allies" - something he reiterated in the call with the US president.

The US-Israeli strikes were launched after negotiations to limit Iran's nuclear programme ended without a deal. The UK did not participate.

Sir Keir also released a joint statement with the leaders of France and Germany on Saturday, calling for Iran to "refrain from indiscriminate military strikes".

Sir Keir said in his speech that he wanted to see "peace and security" in the Middle East and the "protection of civilian life".

He added: "Iran can end this now.

"They should refrain from further strikes, give up their weapons programme and cease the appalling violence and oppression of the Iranian people – who deserve the right to determine their own future."

Sir Keir also said protections for British bases and personnel had been stepped up to their highest level.

The prime minister condemned Iran's retaliatory attacks "on partners across the region" after explosions were heard in several Middle East countries with US facilities.

He said many countries attacked by Iran were "not parties to this conflict" and called Iran's strikes "indiscriminate".

"Even in the United Kingdom, the Iranian regime poses a direct threat to dissidents and to the Jewish community," Sir Keir added.

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

"So it is clear they must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon."

Earlier, Sir Keir, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged 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 leaders said.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council has promised a "crushing" response to the US-Israeli attacks.

The situation in the Middle East has caused major disruption to air travel and security in the region, with hundreds of thousands of Britons potentially affected.

Four people were injured after an "incident" at a building in the Palm Jumeirah area of Dubai, authorities there said, as eyewitness images and footage showed a plume of smoke near the Fairmont The Palm hotel.

Iranian state media reported that an attack had been launched on Dubai but did not say what it targeted. The US military has a base and personnel in the United Arab Emirates.

All flights in and out of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports in Dubai were suspended on Saturday afternoon.

Dubai International's media office said on Saturday afternoon that the airport had sustained "minor damage in an incident", with four members of staff injured.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the Iranian strikes and described the scenes at the Palm Hotel as "awful", adding that she had spoken to her Emirati counterpart "to express our solidarity with the UAE".

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to warn "against all travel to Israel and Palestine".

British people in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE have been told to immediately shelter in place, while those in Saudi Arabia have been told to "remain indoors in a secure location".

UK nationals in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Turkey, and Oman have also been instructed to "remain vigilant" and take shelter if advised to do so.

The Foreign Office said British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could register their presence to receive direct updates on the situation.

Explosions and air raid sirens were heard in Qatar's capital, Doha, which is host to a US military facility. Qatar's defence ministry said it had intercepted Iranian missiles.

Bahraini state news also reported the service centre of the US Navy's 5th Fleet based in the Gulf nation had been "subjected to a missile attack".

Sir Keir spoke to the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in separate phone calls on Saturday, Downing Street said.

The PM thanked the UAE's president for his efforts to keep British nationals in the country safe and reaffirmed "the UK's commitment to the defence of Qatar".

A Cobra meeting about the US and Israeli strikes was held on Saturday morning, chaired by Sir Keir.

The emergency committee, which involves ministers and officials, meets to co-ordinate the government's response to an emerging situation.

"Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution," a government spokesperson said.

"Our immediate priority is the safety of UK nationals in the region and we will provide them with consular assistance."

They added: "We do not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she stood with the US and Israel "as they take on the threat of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its vile regime".

Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he prayed "for the right outcome for the wonderful Persian people" as "attacks against this evil regime in Iran begin".

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Iranians "deserve to live free from a brutal regime", but Trump's "unilateral and illegal military action won't deliver freedom, peace and security".

The UK "can't be dragged into another protracted Middle Eastern war by a US president", he added.

Referencing reports that a strike had hit a girls' school and killed dozens, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: "This is an illegal, unprovoked and brutal attack that shows once again that the USA and Israel are rogue states.

"The UK must end our cosy relationship with the USA and our ongoing support for Israel."

Additional reporting by Matt Cole and Marc Ashdown