British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Thursday that the UK was “strongly” demanding that the Middle East ceasefire extend to Lebanon. At the same time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday in an attempt to strengthen the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
- Britain is asking for the extension of the ceasefire to Lebanon.
- Prime Minister Starmer reinforces ceasefire during Gulf visit.
- The cessation of hostilities depends on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran has closed the strait again after attacks on Hezbollah.
“We want the ceasefire to be extended to Lebanon as well. I am deeply concerned about the escalation of attacks that we saw yesterday from Israel on Lebanon,” the minister told the British Sky News station. “We have seen the humanitarian consequences, the mass displacement of people in Lebanon. That’s why we really want the ceasefire to be extended to Lebanon,” she said.
Cooper made the comments as Starmer arrived in the UAE as part of his visit to the Persian Gulf, where he met with regional leaders. His trip is aimed at strengthening the Middle East ceasefire, at a time when there are signs that the US-Iran deal is under pressure.
He attends several meetings
Starmer met Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman in Jeddah on Wednesday. According to the DPA agency, he is also expected to meet with the President of the UAE, Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “The Prime Minister firstly welcomed the ceasefire and explained that efforts must now focus on keeping it and turning it into a lasting peace,” a spokesman for 10 Downing Street said in a statement.
“He made it clear that it is now essential to continue working to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and discussed the UK’s efforts to engage partners to reach an agreement and plan practical steps to boost shipping confidence in the Strait,” the spokesman added.
Starmer welcomed the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which includes a two-week conditional cessation of hostilities. But he added that it was still “too early” and that much work still needed to be done to restore shipping on this key waterway.
They call for peace in Lebanon as well
But the cessation of hostilities, which depends on the reopening of the strait, appeared to be in jeopardy as Iran closed the waterway again on Wednesday evening in response to Israeli strikes against the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, US President Donald Trump wrote on Thursday that US forces in and around Iran will remain in place “until the REAL DEAL that was reached is fully respected”. US Vice President JD Vance, in turn, said that the deal with Iran did not include Lebanon, and that there was a misunderstanding on the Iranian side if it believed it did.
In a joint statement with European allies and Canada on Wednesday, Starmer called for full respect for the ceasefire, including in Lebanon, even though Israel has previously said the ceasefire does not apply to Beirut. US-Iran talks are scheduled to take place this weekend in Pakistan, with Vice President Vance and Ambassador Steve Witkoff attending on behalf of the United States.
