Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed not to be dragged into the war with Iran, but his government described its new position as essentially defensive.
Five missiles struck the Baghdad International Airport and injured four people. Israeli and Iranian attacks continued as global economic concerns about the war mounted.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was attacked overnight. Israeli strikes continued to hit the capitals of Iran and Lebanon, as Iran refused to relinquish control over a vital oil route.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz were “something we are dealing with.” And about 2,500 Marines were headed to the Middle East to bolster the war effort.
Several senior Iranian officials showed up at the government-sponsored rally, marking Quds Day, an annual anti-Israel event that was shaken by explosions from the U.S.-Israeli aerial assault.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei could prove to be even more radical than his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by the U.S. and Israel at the start of the war.
President Trump’s embrace of military action in Iran was spurred by an Israeli leader determined to end diplomatic negotiations. Few of the president’s advisers voiced opposition.
Representatives of the countries were in Geneva this week to discuss the fate of Iran’s nuclear program.
President Trump has kept up a steady drumbeat of threats and built up U.S. troops in the region. Iran’s task is to give him a win but also preserve some semblance of nuclear enrichment.
Even as the president considers an attack, his State of the Union address offered little more than a brief repetition of vague talking points from recent days.