Starmer says UK will not be dragged into Iran war

Finance ministers from countries including the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia on Wednesday urged the United States, Israel and Iran to fully implement a ceasefire and warned of risks to the global economy.

“We welcome the recent announcement of a ceasefire… and call on all parties to implement the ceasefire in full,” the ministers said in a joint statement.

The ministers -- from the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Spain, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Poland and New Zealand -- warned that “renewed hostilities, a widening of the conflict or continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz would pose serious additional risks” to energy security and financial stability.

They also called for “a swift and lasting negotiated resolution” and a return to “free and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”

They said they would coordinate economic responses and support vulnerable countries affected by the crisis.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi on Wednesday criticized European governments for what she described as silence over repression in Iran, despite a ceasefire in the conflict with the United States.

Speaking via videocall at a European Parliament foreign affairs committee meeting, Ebadi said a separate “war” between the Iranian government and its people had been ongoing for years.

“This war between the Islamic Republic and the people of Iran… has never seen a ceasefire,” she said.

She said protests in January were driven by economic hardship, inequality and human rights violations.

“In all these cases, European governments have closed their eyes to the crimes of the Islamic Republic,” Ebadi said.

“We are not only responsible for our actions and words, but also for our silence and inaction,” she added.

Ebadi also said executions, arrests and internet shutdowns had continued in recent months, affecting both civil liberties and the economy.

European lawmaker Hannah Neumann said on Wednesday the situation of ordinary Iranians risks being overlooked as attention focuses on talks between the United States and Iran.

Speaking at a European Parliament foreign affairs committee meeting, Neumann said a fragile ceasefire had been announced but repression inside Iran was intensifying.

“Mass arrests and forced disappearances… the longest and most profound internet shutdown… this is the reality in which Iranians live today,” she said.

She added that recent diplomatic efforts “do not reflect the aspirations of the Iranian people for freedom, dignity and democratic participation.”

“Not a single point put forward by the negotiation teams… is about the people of Iran,” she said.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Ankara was working to extend a ceasefire between the United States and Iran and support continued talks.

Erdogan said Turkey aimed to ease tensions and was hopeful negotiations would continue despite challenges.

He added that attacks on Lebanon were harming peace efforts and that the opportunity created by the ceasefire should be used.

The United States has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire with Iran, but engagement between the two sides is ongoing, Axios reported, citing a US official.

“The US has not formally agreed to an extension of the ceasefire,” the official said.

“There is continued engagement between the US and Iran to reach a deal,” the official added.