Mosques urge PM to lead Iran-Israel de-escalation

The prime minister has been urged by more than a dozen mosques and Islamic centres to lead efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, in the wake of US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.

Fifteen mosques and Islamic community organisations in Birmingham, including the Green Lane Masjid and the Sparkbrook Islamic Centre, wrote in a joint letter that they felt "deep concern" over the conflict.

The US strikes on Saturday saw America join Israel in attacking Iran and on Monday, Iran launched missiles at Israel.

Sir Keir Starmer said on Sunday that the UK was "doing everything we can to stabilise the situation" and find a diplomatic solution.

In their joint letter, the Birmingham mosques and Islamic centres urged Sir Keir to take "responsibility in leading de-escalation efforts".

They added that the UK's role must be to promote "peace, justice, and the rule of law".

They asked Sir Keir to oppose UK military involvement in an Israeli-Iranian conflict, adding that the British public was "war-weary" and had "no appetite for further military entanglement in the Middle East".

Abdullah Saif, from Muslim Students House, a mosque and community centre in Balsall Heath that signed the letter, said there was a "fear that history might repeat itself".

"Now that America has gotten involved, in previous incidents the UK doesn't take too long to follow suit," he told BBC Radio WM.

"It's not about picking sides here, we just want there to be a real call for de-escalation."

Sir Keir spoke to the US president on Sunday and discussed the need for Iran to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, a No 10 spokesman said at the weekend.

The British government has also made it known that, while it was told in advance what Washington was about to do, it did not take part in the strikes and was not asked to.

The UK's foreign secretary, David Lammy, told BBC Breakfast on Monday that he had spoken to the Iranian foreign minister and urged him to be "very careful about not escalating" the situation.

Lammy added that this was "a moment of peril" but he believed "diplomacy must and can prevail".

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.