Iran war live: Starmer vows UK to play 'full part' in reopening Strait of Hormuz

Iran war live: Starmer vows UK to play 'full part' in reopening Strait of Hormuz The latest deal between the US and Iran has been heavily criticised by analysts with one expert saying it's a 'tacit admission of strategic defeat' from Trump's administration Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed the UK will play a "full part" in reopening the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of the US-Iran deal aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East. He made the comment at the G7 summit after Donald Trump warned Iran will suffer "the ultimate consequences" if the country ever develops or purchases a nuclear weapon. The President said "all hell will rain down" on the country if that happens. The Prime Minister described the reopening of the Strait, which is a key trade route, as "hugely important" because of the closure's impact on UK household budgets. He said: "President Macron and I put together a group of countries prepared to play their part in terms of reassurance to get vessels through the Strait of Hormuz." The deal to end to the end the conflict is expected to be signed on Friday. Key Events Trump and Starmer have both spoken at the G7 Summit in France today. The US president told reporters that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon and that if that does happen, "all hell will rain down on them". Trump said: "The only thing that really matters to me is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. If they do, they'll suffer unbelievable consequences. The consequences are the ultimate consequences. "The biggest thing is they will not have a nuclear weapon. They will not develop, purchase, buy or require a nuclear weapon. If they do, all hell will rain down on them." Starmer said the UK will play its "full part" in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which he described as "very, very important". He said: "President Macron and I put together a group of countries prepeared to play their part in terms of reassurance to get vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. "That is hugely important in terms of reopening the strait - very, very important for us in the United Kingdom because the straight being closed has had an impact on our economy and on every household across the country. We'll play our full part in relation to that." Reopening the Strait of Hormuz may not be the great achievement some might believe it is as the agreement between the US and Iran was announced on Sunday. This is due to this simply restoring matters to their pre-war state, when a fifith of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas would pass through the strait. Sky News's Dominic Waghorn highlighted Trump's failure to achieve nearly all of his war aims, including changing Iran's regime, helping Iranian people who protested against their leaders and reining in Iran's proxies. Waghorn adds that the war helped Iran gain leverage that "it never enjoyed before" as Tehran could prove "even less accommodating" in the agreement negotiations given its control of the Strait of Hormuz. He writes: "Attacking Iran turned out to be a massive miscalculation for Donald Trump. It has cost America's standing in the world dearly and left Iran potentially stronger. It will go down as one of the greatest strategic blunders in US history." Jacob Nagel, Netanyahu's former national security adviser, has sent a warning to Trump saying a "weak" deal with Iran could rescue Tehran's regime and "be remembered as worse than Obama's". He described the Memorandum of Understanding as a "catastrophe" that is "hollow, devoid of substantive substance and completely detached from the core issues". Writing for the Jerusalem Post, Nagel explained the agreement only addresses the issue that currently puts the most pressure on the Trump administration and the Iranian regime, which is that of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Nagel said: "For President Trump, the question is whether he wants to be remembered as the leader who corrected former US president Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, or as the one who signed an even worse agreement when Tehran was at its weakest." Israelis from across the political spectrum reacted angrily to the news of an initial deal between the US and Iran, calling it a disaster for Israel and directing their fury at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader said at a news conference that “with an agreement, without an agreement,” he would continue fighting to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Critics say Netanyahu led Donald Trump into the war with Iran while overpromising what it could achieve, and Trump now might be dragging Israel out of the conflict before it feels ready. They say the prime minister misjudged Trump’s appetite for a protracted conflict, was outflanked by Iran in negotiations and grew increasingly sidelined by the region’s other major players. “Israel is paying the price of Netanyahu’s hubris and blindness, and the price of the manipulations that he tried to pull on Trump,” former Prime Minister and Netanyahu rival Ehud Barak said in an interview with Israel’s public broadcaster. “Iran emerged stronger; Israel emerged weaker. That is Netanyahu’s strategic responsibility. He failed.” The head of Iran's merchant marine union, Saman Rezaei, has told Al Jazeera news agency that he believes the transit system in the Strait of Hormuz will "never return to its pre-war condition". "For centuries, the strait has been a safe haven for merchant shipping, but this war has shattered the previous order and structure, and we will have to wait for a new order and a more effective role for its coastal states." US President Donald Trump said the MoU between the US and Iran has already been signed electronically. US officials told Reuters and AFP that the agreement was signed by Trump, Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Trump told reporters in France, where he is attending a G7 summit, that US Vice President JD Vance will travel to Switzerland for the official signing ceremony on Friday, and that the text of the agreement will be made public soon. Protesters gathered outside the stadium ahead of Iran's first World Cup match against New Zealand. Axios has reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe told US President Donald Trump and other senior officials that intelligence gathered by US agencies raised doubts about Iran's willingness to make the nuclear concessions in any final deal, three sources familiar with the discussions said. US Vice President JD Vance explained the details of the peace deal in a video posted on X. Vance said: - The Strait of Hormuz have opened immediately - The deal ensures that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon - If Iranians makes the long-term commitment never to rebuild their nuclear programme, then they are going to be welcomed into the global economy - Violating the commitment to never rebuild the nuclear programme means they will never have the resources to achieve it US President Donald Trump has denied reports of a pay-out to Iran. He wrote in a post on Truth Social: "Iran has agreed to never have a Nuclear Weapon! Also, the story that the U.S. is paying Iran 300 million Dollars is Fake News, put out by the Dumocrats!!! President DJT" Iran will play their first World Cup match against New Zealand in Los Angeles, California on Monday, hours after the US and Iran reached a deal to end the war. Kick off is at 6pm local time. At least three Iranian oil tankers and two cargo ships have passed the US naval blockade, Iranian news outlets have reported. The vessels sailed through on Monday evening, just hours after the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States was announced. Trump has said he isn't sure whether he'll attend the signing of the agreement to end the war in Iran on Friday. At a G7 press conference he said that the Vice President may attend in his place. He said: "Well, it depends," during a joint appearance with French President Emmanuel Macron. "I may be involved. I may not. JD was coming in for that," Trump said, referring to Vice President JD Vance. Trump is hailing the Iran deal as promising, but not a guarantee. "Hopefully we get along," he says. "If we don't, we go back to where we started." The president said he did not believe the US would “need much help” in ensuring the free transit of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz due to the peace deal with Iran. Donald Trump made his remarks after he was asked at the G7 summit what he expected from France and other countries in relation to the strategic waterway. Ending Iran’s stranglehold on the critical Gulf channel, which has disrupted global oil and gas supplies and driven up fuel and food prices, had been a key demand in negotiations. The UK and France have led plans for a defensive mission to protect shipping in the channel once hostilities end, including the deployment of autonomous mine-hunting equipment. Seated next to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Mr Trump said: “I don’t think we’re going to need much help, because we have an agreement where it’s going to be open and it’s toll-free. “So, I don’t think we’re going to need much help, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a ship or two up here from a few countries.” President Donald Trump has said the Strait of Hormuz is "already partially opened" and that it will fully reopen on Friday, when the US and Iran are set to formally sign a memorandum of understanding. "They’re doing a little hunting for a couple of mines that they’ve already found, but … ships are starting to go out now," Trump said during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit. "On Friday, it’ll be completely open." Hezbollah has congratulated Iran on the peace deal while warning Israel "there will be no return to the pre-March 2 status quo". "The resistance, which has been and remains the vigilant guardian of the homeland and its people, will not accept any aggression that violates its sovereignty or sheds the blood of its people," the Lebanon-based group said in a statement reported by Al Jazeera. Hezbollah remains committed to Lebanon’s "right to defend its land, its people, and its sovereignty until a complete withdrawal is achieved and the prisoners are returned", it added. In Lebanon, 3,798 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, with 11,781 others also injured, the Lebanese Ministry of Health says. It adds that 15 people have been killed and 82 injured in Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours. Sir Keir Starmer has arrived at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, eastern France, joined by his wife Victoria. Yesterday, Starmer met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also attending the summit, at Downing Street. A statement published after the meeting celebrated "upgrading the strategic partnership" between London and Tokyo. Iran must fundamentally change its behaviour before any EU sanctions can be lifted, the president of the EU Commission has said. Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference ahead of the G7 summit in France: "The principle of sanctions is that we need real change on the ground before we can think about lifting them. Sanctions are in place to change behavior. So if behaviour is changing credibly and verifiably, then you can lift sanctions." Donald Trump has said "ships are starting to move" out of the Strait of Hormuz. The US president said in a Truth Social post that many of the vessels "were loaded up with oil" as they were moving, adding that the "Southern 'Highway'" lane is "totally safe, secure, and pristine". Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said the world "has changed profoundly" as the G7 summit is opening in Evian, France. She described the world as now being "more fragmented", "more competitive" and "more uncertain". She continued: "But last night's breakthrough in the Middle East shows that diplomacy can deliver. "It gives us renewed hope and determination. This week, we will work for greater stability and security in the world." The Group of Seven (G7) consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Benny Gantz, the chair of the Blue and White Party in Israel, has labelled the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran as a "strategic failure". In a statement posted on his X account, the politician said: "Under no circumstances - it is forbidden to agree to restrict Israel's freedom of action in Lebanon or to a withdrawal that endangers the residents of the north. "The emerging agreement with Iran appears to be a strategic failure that will require Israel to engage in diplomatic, military, and legal struggles in the coming years." Maersk, the world's second largest container shipping company, told Reuters news agency that it welcomes the ceasefire news. The statement described the agreement as a "welcome and positive development" but the shipping giant explained "it is too early to assess how it will impact logistics and maritime operations". "At this stage, there are no changes to our operations in the region," the Danish company said. Maersk handles nearly one in five of all seaborne containers across the globe and is just one of the companies affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has been largely blocked since the start of the war. In a statement released on Monday, June 15, on X, the Lebanese Army asked people to still be cautious and vigilant following the ceasefire news. The statement read: "In light of the recent developments in the region and amid circulating news regarding the achievement of a ceasefire, the army command emphasizes the necessity for residents to exercise caution in returning to the southern border villages and towns, and to adhere to the directives of the deployed military units, to safeguard their safety from the dangers of violations and Israeli attacks. "It also stresses the need for utmost caution and vigilance in areas that have been subjected to Israeli attacks, and to report any unexploded ordnance or suspicious objects to the nearest army center or other security forces." Donald Trump has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "very difficult guy," adding that he should be thankful for the US-Iran peace deal as it has saved Israel from nuclear destruction. "He's a very difficult guy," Trump told the New York Times, "and to be honest with you, he should be very thankful to us for doing this. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn't be around for two hours." The deal between US and Iran will officially be signed in Switzerland on Friday. The deal was announced on Sunday, by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He said the US and Iran "declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon". The US president is expected to discuss plans with allies during next week’s G7 summit in France. France will host the G7 in the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains from Monday, with the seven member states expected to discuss deal alongside other matters. Other items to be discussed include the rise of artificial intelligence and support for Ukraine amid the war with Russia. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the UK stands “ready to help” develop the US-Iran agreement into “a lasting peace”. She said: “I strongly welcome the announcement of an agreement between the US and Iran. “It is vital that toll-free freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is swiftly restored, so international shipping can get moving again to help the global economy and families here at home. “The UK stands ready with France and other countries to support that process as needed. “Our longstanding position is that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. The UK is ready to support the technical work to ensure that vital objective is implemented. “This agreement is important for regional and global security and for the international economy. Thank you to all those involved in negotiations including Pakistan and Qatar. It is vital that progress continues – we stand ready to help make it a lasting peace.” Full details of the deal did not immediately emerge and it was unclear how soon the Strait of Hormuz could reopen to all vessels. Central to the negotiations has been Iran’s stranglehold on the critical waterway, which has disrupted global oil and gas supplies and driven up fuel and food prices. Specifics of the deal are yet to be officially confirmed. However, Iranian state media have reported that it includes Iran committing not to produce nuclear weapons, a permanent ceasefire on all front including Lebanon and an end to some US sanctions on Iran. Iran's deputy foreign minister said talks on a final deal will happen over a 60-day period.