As the military conflict between Israel and Iran entered its third day, Sir Keir Starmer called for “de-escalation”, which is a noble and sensible objective. But it can be little more than a diplomatic holding position. With neither side anything like ready to heed such appeals, and casualties mounting in both countries, the fear must be that the trajectory lies in the opposite direction, which presents the government with a new dilemma, to add to the many it currently faces at home as well as abroad: how far, if at all, should the UK become involved in what could escalate into a wider Middle East war?
Thus far, it would seem that beyond the relatively small presence of British troops already in the region, the UK’s involvement is limited to the dispatch of additional fast jets and mid-air refuelling planes, as disclosed by the prime minister on his way to the G7 summit in Canada. He described this as a “contingency”, intended – it has to be assumed, although he did not spell it out – to facilitate a response, should Iran mount an attack on UK interests. This was a possibility specifically broached by Iran in the event of a third country, such as the UK, moving to reinforce Israel militarily.
