Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was not convinced the world is safer as a result of the US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
The war against Iran was a “mistake” and has not made the world a safer place, Rachel Reeves said as she stepped up her criticism of the US-Israeli military action.
The Chancellor, speaking at an event in Washington, said diplomatic talks to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon should have been allowed to continue.
She criticised US President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war, which has resulted in Iran retaliating with strikes against Gulf states and the closure of the vital oil and gas shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking at a CNBC event in the US capital, Ms Reeves said: “The question is not whether you like or dislike the Iranian regime – I strongly dislike the Iranian regime – but how to achieve the change that you want to achieve.”
She said Iran did not currently have a nuclear weapon and the best way to prevent the Tehran regime from getting one was through diplomacy rather than conflict.
The Chancellor added: “There was a diplomatic channel open, conversations, formal discussions were happening.
“I think it was a mistake to end those and to enter into conflict, because I’m not convinced that we are safer today than we were a few weeks ago.”
