Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, June 22, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Starmer: UK moving military equipment to Mideast to protect its interests
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer inside 10 Downing Street, London on June 19, 2025. (Jordan Pettitt /Pool/ AFP)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says his focus is on curbing the Iran-Israel war and negotiating a solution, as he warns of escalation spreading beyond the Middle East.
Starmer would not say whether the UK would be drawn into the war if Iran targets US bases, but says it is moving military equipment into the area to protect its interests, people and allies.
“I’m not going to speculate about what may happen, because all of my focus is on de-escalation,” he says.
The UK has sent additional Typhoon fighter jets and Voyager tankers to Cyprus since the Israel-Iran war started more than a week ago. Iran had threatened to attack US, French and British bases in the region if those countries helped Israel.
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