Dame Priti Patel has urged ministers to "come off the fence" over whether US air strikes on Iran "were absolutely necessary" in June. The Conservative frontbencher pressed Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer for details about the "UK's response to the actions of the Iranian regime" in the Commons on Monday.
It followed Operation Midnight Hammer in June, an air raid when US defence forces attacked Iranian nuclear sites near Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. UK Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any potential British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies.
Shadow foreign secretary demands clarity
"Two weeks have passed since the US air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities," shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti said. "Does the minister have an assessment of their impact, and what is his response to the Iranian regime now prohibiting co-operation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and their inspectors leaving Iran?"
She questioned whether the Government was discussing "snapback sanctions being applied" by reinstating UN sanctions on Iran removed through the 2015 nuclear deal. Dame Priti also asked whether ministers would "finally come off the fence about those strikes and agree with this side of the House that they were absolutely necessary".
Government confirms sanctions discussions
Falconer confirmed the Government was "in discussions about the snapback mechanisms" with European and American partners. "As the Prime Minister (Sir Keir Starmer) has said, as the Foreign Secretary (David Lammy) has said, as I have said, we cannot see Iran get a nuclear weapon - snapback is an important lever," he told MPs.
The minister said they were "talking with our E3 partners and indeed the Americans about what role snapback can play". He added that the Government hoped to see a diplomatic solution as "the most enduring way to ensure that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon".
Cabinet split over US action
Conservative MP Andrew Murrison highlighted apparent disagreements within the Government over the US action. He referenced Defence Secretary John Healey's social media comments supporting Operation Midnight Hammer, where the Cabinet minister said the "US has taken action to alleviate the grave threat that Iran poses to global security".
"The Defence Secretary correctly has said that Operation Midnight Hammer has alleviated a grave threat, but the Attorney General appears to be less clear and wonders if it was illegal, whilst the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary appear to sit on the fence," Murrison said. Falconer insisted there was no disagreement, citing "collective responsibility" that would bind all ministers.
New powers against foreign threats
The Foreign Office minister also addressed recommendations for new legal powers against foreign intelligence services. Independent reviewer of state threats legislation Jonathan Hall identified a "gap" in the law in a 2025 report and recommended the Government should be able to issue "statutory alert and liability threat notices" against organisations like Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
This would create a "new proscription-type power" similar to existing terrorism legislation used to ban groups such as Hamas and National Action. Falconer said the Government was "seeking to fill" the legal gap to address states that pose "persistent threats in the UK using methods unlike those usually employed by a state".
(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
