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    Tony Blair ‘has a contribution to make’ to Trump’s Gaza peace deal, UK’s Middle East minister says

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    Britain’s minister for the Middle East has pushed the case for Sir Tony Blair to be part of the board running Gaza after the second phase of the peace deal is agreed.With concerns still high that the fragile ceasefire may not hold between Hamas and Israel, minister Hamish Falconer has hailed the qualities of the former prime minister in an exclusive interview with The Independent.The minister, whose portfolio also covers North Africa and plays a significant role in the migrant crisis, denied Keir Starmer’s decision to slash international aid has fuelled the illegal flow of people to Europe and the UK.Hamish Falconer (centre) visits a migrant processing centre in Algeria More

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      Trump backslaps Starmer as prime minister says Hamas has ‘no future’ in Palestine

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      President Donald Trump patted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on the back as the UK leader insisted Hamas would have “no part in any future governance of Palestine”. The comments came at a joint press conference in Chequers on Thursday during the American leader’s historic second state visit to the UK. The politicians discussed the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the “special relationship” between the UK and US leading to several trade deals, and Israeli military action in Gaza where a humanitarian catastrophe has been declared by several groups. Asked a question about recognition of the State of Palestine and whether it would “reward” Hamas, the prime minister said: “Hamas is a terrorist organisation who can have no part in the future governance of Palestine.”Donald Trump appeared pleased with Keir Starmer’s comments against Hamas More

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      Starmer says UK to help air drop aid into Gaza – but UN warns they could kill starving civilians

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      The UK is working with Jordan on plans to air drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.But the UN has warned has warned the focus on air drops is a ‘distraction’, and could lead to more deaths in the war-torn enclave. The prime minister held emergency talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday amid mounting global anger at the starving population in the besieged enclave.In a readout of the call, a spokesperson for Sir Keir said the leaders had agreed “it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently needed ceasefire into lasting peace”.The UN and experts have warned that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine More

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      in UK Politics

      Trump administration denies wanting war with Iran or regime change after nuclear site bombing raid

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      Donald Trump’s administration “does not seek war” and is not trying to create regime change, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has claimed after the president authorised a stunning attack on Iran.With the world reeling over the stealth bomber raids on three nuclear sites – dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer – President Trump claimed he had “completely obliterated” Iran’s chances of obtaining nuclear weapons.But despite Mr Hegseth’s comments on Sunday, the attacks have prompted the UK and others to organise repatriation flights for citizens from Israel, Iran and surrounding countries amid fears of all-out war.Click here for the latest on the ongoing conflict.Defence secretary Pete Hegseth revealed new details of the attack at the Pentagon in Washington on Sunday More

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      in Elections

      U.S. Military Is Pulled Back Into Middle East Wars

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      The strikes on Iran ushered in a period of high alert as the Pentagon braced for almost-certain retaliation against American forces in the region.The U.S. strikes on nuclear sites in Iran are an extraordinary turn for a military that was supposed to be moving on from two decades of forever wars in the Middle East, and they put the United States back on war footing.Across the region, where more than 40,000 American troops are on bases and warships, the strikes ushered in a period of high alert as the Pentagon braced for almost-certain retaliation from Iran.President Trump announced on social media that three Iranian sites were hit, including the mountain facility at Fordo. The bombs used in the strikes are believed to include “bunker busters,” which are designed to destroy deep underground bunkers or well-buried weapons in highly protected facilities.A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential intelligence said that multiple 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordo, and that initial damage assessments indicated that the facility had been “taken off the table.”The strikes, whether successful or not, are likely to trigger a fierce response. Tehran has vowed to strike at American bases in the Middle East, and American intelligence agencies confirmed before the strikes took place that Iran would take steps to widen the war and hit U.S. forces in the region. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence, said the strikes against the three nuclear sites were complete. The official said no follow-up attacks were expected, although commanders were ready to respond to any Iranian retaliation.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      in UK Politics

      ‘I may do it, I may not’: Donald Trump taunts Iran over airstrikes as Starmer holds Cobra meeting

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      Donald Trump taunted Iran on Wednesday over the extraordinary prospect of US airstrikes on Tehran, after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected demands for unconditional surrender.“I may do it. I may not do it,” the president said amid a growing divide among his inner circle over whether to join Israel’s attacks.“The next week is going to be very big,” he teased as thousands fled the Iranian capital following the latest aerial bombardment, leaving many shops closed and streets empty.Sir Keir Starmer chaired an emergency Cobra meeting on the Middle East crisis late on Wednesday, two days after he expressed confidence that Mr Trump would not join the unfolding war between Iran and Israel.The Foreign Office has evacuated family members of embassy staff from Israel, but has not advised British nationals to leave the country.Mr Trump on Tuesday demanded Iran’s conditional surrender and issued a chilling warning that US forces knew the whereabouts of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s 86-year-old religious ruler.In a speech aired on Iranian television – his first appearance since bombing began last Friday – the supreme leader said any US intervention would lead to “irreparable damage”.Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addresses the nation More

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      in Elections

      Trump’s Choice on Israel-Iran: Help Destroy Nuclear Facility or Continue to Negotiate

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      Iranian officials have warned that U.S. participation in an attack on its facilities will imperil any chance of the nuclear disarmament deal the president insists he is still interested in pursuing.President Trump is weighing a critical decision in the four-day-old war between Israel and Iran: whether to enter the fray by helping Israel destroy the deeply buried nuclear enrichment facility at Fordo, which only America’s biggest “bunker buster,” dropped by American B-2 bombers, can reach.If he decides to go ahead, the United States will become a direct participant in a new conflict in the Middle East, taking on Iran in exactly the kind of war Mr. Trump has sworn, in two campaigns, he would avoid. Iranian officials have already warned that U.S. participation in an attack on its facilities will imperil any remaining chance of the nuclear disarmament deal that Mr. Trump insists he is still interested in pursuing.Mr. Trump had at one point encouraged his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and possibly Vice President JD Vance, to offer to meet the Iranians, according to a U.S. official. But on Monday Mr. Trump posted on social media that “everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran,” hardly a sign of diplomatic progress.Mr. Trump also said on Monday that “I think Iran basically is at the negotiating table, they want to make a deal.” The urgency appeared to be rising. The White House announced late on Monday that Mr. Trump was leaving the Group of 7 summit early because of the situation in the Middle East.“As soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something,” Mr. Trump said. “But I have to leave here.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      in UK Politics

      The UK should protect its allies in the Gulf and Middle East – but Israel isn’t one of them

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      For Britain, Israel is mostly a strategic liability – but it’s also a very close ally in stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.Now that Israel is locked in a war with Iran and Britain is rushing to send a handful of RAF jets to the region, that relationship needs careful management.The UK cannot afford to be seen as guilty by association in respect of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, or to suffer reputational damage by offering Israel unnecessary help – there is plenty for the RAF to do aside from that. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has said that the aircraft may be used to defend the UK’s allies – in other words, shoot down Iranian missiles heading towards Tel Aviv.Helping Israel to stop the erratic and malevolent Iranian regime from making an atomic bomb is smart. Being seen to do so, and protecting Israel against the consequences of its endeavours, is not.Iran has threatened to attack any US ally that defends Israel. The US has already helped to shoot down ballistic missiles fired by Tehran in retaliation for the ongoing, and widespread, Israeli attacks on Iran’s air defences, missile systems, military leadership and nuclear programme. The US has a vast array of military assets very close to Iran, with air force and navy bases positioned across the Persian Gulf, in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. These are all vulnerable to attack.Rescue teams clear rubble in a neighbourhood in the northern Israeli town of Tamra following an overnight missile attack by Iran More

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      in UK Politics

      UK moving jets to Middle East as Israel warns more severe strikes coming

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      The UK is sending more RAF jets to the Middle East, Sir Keir Starmer said, after Iran threatened to target British, French and US bases if the countries help stop strikes on Israel.The prime minister said further military assets are being deployed to provide “contingency support” across the region amid escalating hostilities between the two long-time foes.Sir Keir’s announcement comes as Iran and Israel continue to bombard one another with airstrikes in the wake of Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear bases. Civilians took cover in bomb shelters as air raid sirens sounded across Israel, while plumes of smoke were seen rising from the streets of Tel Aviv after deadly attacks in both countries. Rejecting international calls to de-escalate the violence, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks would intensify as he claimed to have set back Iran’s nuclear capabilities, possibly by years. “We will hit every site and every target of the ayatollah’s regime and what they have felt so far is nothing compared with what they will be handed in the coming days,” he vowed in a video message on Saturday. Ahead of a gathering of world leaders at a crunch G7 summit in Canada, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed Britain was moving military assets to the region.Buildings in Israel were destroyed by strikes More