UK 'not going to be involved' in 'protecting' Israel during Iran conflict, Israeli ambassador tells LBC

17 June 2025, 19:19 | Updated: 17 June 2025, 22:59

The UK is "not going to be involved" in the conflict between Israel and Iran, Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely has told LBC.

Ambassador Hotovely said in the past the UK "were great partners of the defence coalition", but they are not going to be involved in protecting Israel in its current conflict with Iran.

She told LBC's Andrew Marr: "We didn't ask anyone's help, honestly, from the British government. We are very clear that we are very happy that our friends from all around the world are supporting this very justified campaign against the most dangerous regime, not to have the most dangerous weapon.

"And we didn't ask their help. We are allies in intelligence cooperation. We do a lot of things together. On security, the UK is not involved."

Ambassador Hotovely's comments come amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, with retaliatory missile strikes between the nations entering their fourth day.

During the interview with Andrew Marr, the ambassador confirmed that while Israel and the UK don't see eye-to-eye on everything, on the issue of Iran potentially having nuclear weapons, they are aligned.

Read more: Israeli tank shelling on crowds waiting for aid kills 45 Palestinians in Khan Younis

Read more: Trump 'not planning to attack Iran', Starmer insists as US President says he won't kill Supreme Leader 'for now'

Britain has not offered to assist in 'protecting' Israel, says Israeli Ambassador

She said: "We have a gap on many issues. And I must say that on Iran, there was never a gap.

"We always understood how dangerous this regime and the UK government, whether it was Conservatives or Labour, always thought that this regime shouldn't have nuclear weapons. So this is where we agree."

The Ambassador denied it was Israel's intention to topple the Iranian regime.

Recent hours have seen Trump weigh in on the situation in the Middle East, claiming the US knows where Iran's Supreme Leader is "hiding".

The comments come as Starmer said the US was "not planning to attack Iran" - as the US President insisted he won't kill Supreme Leader 'for now".

Expanding on her Israel's conflict with Iran, Ambassador Hotovely said: "I think that Prime Minister was very clear that we are after the nuclear programme.

"We are in this military operation for one reason, to defend Israel, to defend the region, to defend the world and to make sure that Iran won't have nuclear capabilities."

Iran’s ambassador to the UK insisted his country had no intention of building a nuclear weapon as he clashed with MPs on Tuesday.

Seyed Ali Mousavi told the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee that Iran’s nuclear programme was “only peaceful”, insisting: “There is no desire, not any intention, to produce a nuclear bomb.”

His comments come less than a week after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) censured Iran for failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations intended to stop it developing a nuclear weapon.

Tehran is reported to have enriched uranium up to 60%, requiring only a short technical step to reach the weapons-grade level of 90%.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Mr Mousavi condemned Israeli air strikes on Iran, accusing Tel Aviv of “terrorist and criminal aggression” and deliberately targeting civilians.

But he also clashed with MPs on the committee over Iran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and plots to assassinate people in the UK.

In a heated exchange with Labour MP Blair McDougall, Mr Mousavi complained about the use of the word “regime” to describe the government in Tehran, insisting it was “a very lawful and legally responsible state”.

Referring to Russia’s use of Iranian-supplied drones to strike civilian targets in Ukraine, Mr McDougall asked: “What’s the legal basis for (Vladimir) Putin’s war in Ukraine, if you’re a fan of international law?”

But Mr Mousavi insisted Iran had “declared to the Russian side not to use our cooperation against a third party”, adding the committee would have to “ask this question to the Russian Federation”.

He also asked for “evidence” of plots to attack Iranian journalists in the UK, offering to provide members of Iran’s security services to “remove these kinds of misunderstandings”.