Sadiq Khan backs Starmer resisting Trump pressure to join Iran strikes
London mayor describes conflict as 'war of choice' that risks 'needless killing and suffering abroad' and serious economic consequences for UK
LONDON, United Kingdom (MNTV) – London Mayor Sadiq Khan said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was right to resist pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to join strikes on Iran, describing the conflict as a “war of choice” that risks causing “needless killing and suffering abroad” while bringing serious economic consequences for the United Kingdom.
“Keir Starmer is right to resist pressure from US President Donald Trump to join strikes on Iran,” Khan said in a statement on social media, adding that Britain should not take part in U.S.-led military action against Iran and warning the conflict could deepen cost-of-living pressures already facing British households.
Starmer on Thursday defended the government’s decision not to join the strikes, saying the best solution remained “a negotiated settlement with Iran, where they give up their nuclear ambitions.”
“My focus is on providing calm, level-headed leadership in the national interest,” he said, adding that this meant “having the strength to stand firm by our values and our principles no matter the pressure to do otherwise.”
Khan warned that households in London and across the U.K. could face rising energy bills, higher food prices and increased mortgage costs if the conflict escalates, and that economic disruption could undermine recent progress in bringing inflation down. While condemning the Iranian government, he argued that military action was not the correct response. “The brutal Iranian regime should rightly be condemned and international pressure applied,” he said. “But the U.S. and Israeli action is not the right course to follow.”
Khan also criticized the strikes for being launched without international consensus or UN approval.
“We know from experience it is much easier to start a war than end one,” he said.
“Shock and awe is far easier than the hard task of healing broken nations.” He said Britain should focus on defensive measures to protect its citizens and allies, adding: “Our country is best served by peace and stability in the Middle East, not chaos and carnage.”
Trump, a long-standing critic of Khan, launched a fresh attack during a Tuesday Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “You have a terrible Mayor of London, he’s an incompetent guy, you have Sharia courts, you don’t want Sharia courts,” Trump said. A spokesperson for Khan responded: “The Mayor is clearly still living rent free in Donald Trump’s head. He’s obsessed with him. Sadiq could probably claim squatters’ rights.”
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