Sir Keir Starmer has suggested Britain would support Donald Trump striking Iran.
Speaking to reporters in China, the Prime Minister said it was "hugely important" to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon and accused the regime of"grotesque" treatment of protesters, both arguments Mr Trump has voiced while publicly considering a strike.
Notably, he did not call for de-escalation, which he has often done in the past when the US hasthreatened military action.
The US has assembled a large military force in the Middle East, with the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier battle group this week, and bolstered air and anti-aircraft forces on the ground.
The US president is reportedly considering a range of military options, including sending US commandos in to destroy the remainder ofthe country's nuclear programme.
However, Mr Trump confirmed on Friday that he was in dialogue with Iran and looking for a deal.
Interviewed by the BBC during his trip to Beijing, Sir Keir said: "The goal or the aim here is that Iran shouldn't be able to develop nuclear weapons and that is hugely important and, of course, we need to deal with the fact they are repressing protesters, killing protesters, it is grotesque what is happening so that is where our focus is and we are working with allies to that end."
Pressed a second time whether the answer was "perhaps yes", Sir Keir said: "I am saying we support the goal and we are talking to allies about how we get to that goal."
Downing Street later insisted the Prime Minister was talking about the goals for dialogue rather thanmilitary strikes.
Saudi Arabia is attempting to reduce tensions, acting as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, also offered to facilitate talks to ease hostilities between the two countries.
Earlier in the week, Mr Trump openly threatened Iran with force, describing the "beautiful armada" America was sending to the region.
In a statement posted to Truth Social, the president warned Tehran to quickly return to negotiations over its nuclear programme, saying the fleet was prepared to act with "speed and violence" if necessary.
More recently, he has toned down his rhetoric, cautioning that he wanted talks with the Iranians and hoped not to use the armada.
U.S. President Donald Trump:"I built the military in my first term, and now we have a group headed out to a place called Iran. Hopefully we won't have to use it."pic.twitter.com/XJKZmWm5B6
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613)January 30, 2026
On Friday, Iran warned the US that talks would only succeed if Mr Trump stopped threatening violence.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, told Mr Erdogan that the "success of any diplomacy depends on … the abandonment of belligerent and threatening actions in the region".
Sir Keir's comments follow a report in an Israeli newspaper, citing security sources, that both Britain and France – as well as Israel – were assisting the US in preparing a list of potential targets inside Iran, should Mr Trump decide to approve.
Iran has said it will conduct live-fire military drills in the Strait of Hormuz next week.
If these take place, it could be seen as a highly provocative act, given the number of US warships now in the region.
A US navy destroyer has anchored at Eilat in southern Israel, in a further sign that America is preparing for the possibility of strikes against Iran.
The USS Delbert D Black, a guided missile destroyer, was photographed off the Red Sea town of Eilat.
With its surface-to-air capability, it is a significant addition to the missile defence network protecting the Jewish state – with analysts predicting a high chance that Iran could launch retaliatory missiles at Israel if Mr Trump decides to strike.
Mr Erdogan told Mr Pezeshkian he is willing to help "de-escalate" tensions between Tehran and Washington, in a phone call on Friday, his office said.
Mr Erdogan "emphasised that Turkey is ready to assume a facilitating role between Iran and the United States to de-escalate the tensions and resolve the issues," it said, noting the pair had discussed the "escalating military tensions in the region".
The call came as Tehran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, was in Turkey for top-level talks on the matter.
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