UK maneuvers for greater role in Iran talks amid security tensions

Almost twenty Israeli fighter jets engaged in the attack and dozens of targets were pounded, the Israeli military said in a statement on Monday.

"The terrorist infrastructure attacked in the Hodeidah seaport serves as a major source of income for the Houthi regime. The seaport in Hodeidah is used to transfer Iranian weapons, equipment for military needs and other terrorist needs," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added.

The raid was carried out in response to repeated drone and ballistic missile attacks by the Houthi rebels against Israel, it said.

On Saturday the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that hit near Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport. Shortly after, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation.

The Houthis "have been operating for the past year and a half with Iranian guidance and funding to harm Israel and its allies, undermine regional order, and disrupt global freedom of navigation," the Israeli military said, adding it is "determined to continue to act and strike with force anyone who poses a threat to the residents and citizens of Israel, and at whatever distance is required."

Iran has denied involvement in Houthi attacks on Israel and international shipping, and foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei saying Monday that Tehran does not operate through regional proxies.

“The decisions made by the people of Yemen reflect their own will, and all such accusations against Iran are baseless.”

The Israeli airstrikes also targeted a concrete factory east of the city of Hodeidah, which the the Israeli military says "serves as an important economic resource for the Houthi government and is used to build tunnels and military infrastructure."

Israel's Channel 14 reported that the airstrikes were carried out independently, without US participation or assistance. However, Israeli outlet Walla News reported that the attacks were coordinated with the United States.

Galloway traveled to Iran to attend the third edition of the Sobh International Media Festival, organized by the foreign media division of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the country's state media organization.

Organizers awarded him the "Ismail Haniyeh Prize" in recognition of his outspoken defense of Palestine and alignment with Iran-backed resistance groups.

Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, was assassinated by Israel in a bomb blast targeting his residence in Tehran last year.

"No country on the planet has worked harder than the Islamic Republic of Iran to liberate the people of Palestine from bondage, suffering and endless sacrifice. That is simply a fact," said Galloway in his address to the festival. 

The former MP, now leader of the Workers Party of Britain, is no stranger to Iranian state media. He previously hosted programs on Iran’s English-language broadcaster Press TV, which is overseen by IRIB and has been sanctioned by Western governments for allegedly spreading propaganda.

Galloway has also appeared on Russian state media and was expelled from the UK Labour Party over remarks it deemed antisemitic.

In his speech, Galloway praised Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a key supporter of the Palestinian people and said Yemen was second only to Iran in providing meaningful support for their struggle.

“I thank the revolutionary people of Iran, your leadership, your heroes, and your martyrs for standing firm in support of the Palestinian people," said Galloway.

Galloway also recounted a personal story about his ties to the Palestinian cause, recalling a humanitarian convoy to Gaza. He said the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh once promised to issue him a Palestinian passport. When none were available, Haniyeh instead gave him his own—a gift Galloway described as “one of my most treasured possessions.”

The Sobh International Media Festival is part of the Iranian government’s broader effort to rally international media voices that support its regional narrative and opposition to Israel.

The event drew dozens of foreign participants, many of whom are affiliated with media outlets sympathetic to Iran’s worldview.

Iran's Press Supervisory Board on Monday issued a warning to Ham-Mihan newspaper over an article discussing the impact of the Houthi missile attack against Israel on the Iran-US talks, and referred the case to the judiciary.

In the article, Ham-Mihan discussed the impact of the Yemeni rebels' attack targeting Ben Gurion Airport on the ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

The article said, “After two or three rounds of progress, negotiations between Iran and the US have stalled and apparently entered a difficult phase.”

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s high-level meetings with Omani officials on April 27—just one day after Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Rome under Omani mediation—underscored the United Kingdom's efforts not to remain a bystander in one of the region’s most consequential diplomatic processes.

The UK was also set to meet Iranian officials along with France and Germany on May 2 just before the planned fourth round of US-Iran talks in Rome. However, that meeting was canceled following the postponement of the latest round of Tehran-Washington negotiations. No further plans have been announced yet.

The UK or any of the other signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) has until October to activate the JCPOA’s so-called snapback mechanism which would reimpose all UN sanctions on Iran.

Lammy had already signaled alignment with Washington in late March, expressing a shared commitment to ensuring Iran "never develops or acquires a nuclear weapon." On April 15, he also discussed Iran’s nuclear program with Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Saar during a meeting in London.

Iranian nationals, terror charges

Meanwhile, the diplomatic backdrop was further complicated by a counter-terrorism operation in the UK. On May 4, British police arrested seven Iranian nationals on terrorism-related charges in two separate operations.

Iran’s foreign ministry and state television have remained silent on the arrests. While some domestic outlets cautiously reported the news by citing international coverage, they refrained from offering analysis or commentary. In contrast, the hardline Quds daily responded swiftly and critically on Monday.

In a commentary titled “Security Dossier to Disguise Diplomatic Blackmail,” Quds accused the UK of exploiting the arrests for political leverage in the nuclear talks. “The latest move comes at a time when indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington are taking place, and in this context, London's decision seems meaningful.”

Tehran-based analyst Sohrab Sadreddin quoted in the piece suggested that the arrests were intended as a signal to the US—especially Trump-aligned factions—that Iran remains a strategic threat to the West.

Sadreddin added that Britain, France and Germany are keen to be included in any future agreement between Washington and Tehran: "If an agreement is to be reached, Europe must also be included in it.”

Adding another layer of complexity and pointing to the recent arrest of two British nationals in Iran, the commentary also raised suspicions about a possible prisoner swap strategy.

In January, Iran detained a British couple in Kerman in southern Iran. The couple in their early 50s, Craig and Lindsay Foreman, were on an around the world motorbike tour through Iran. Iran's judiciary in February accused the Foremans of espionage.

The Foremans are not the only UK-linked detainees in Iran. Mehran Raouf, a 68-year-old British-Iranian labor activist, has been imprisoned since October 2020. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence on charges related to national security offenses.

Iran, which does not recognize dual nationality, has a long history of detaining dual citizens and foreigners on security-related charges, often using them as bargaining chips in its dealings with Western powers, including Britain.

In April 2022, British-Iranian nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashouri -- both accused of espionage -- were released following Omani mediation, after Britain settled a long-standing £400 million debt owed to Iran.