UK Lifts Shelter Advisory in Qatar After Iran’s Retaliatory Strike on US Base

The UK has lifted its shelter-in-place advisory for citizens in Qatar following Iran retaliatory missile strike on a US military base in the country. The attack came in response to American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities carried out on Saturday.

However, US President Donald Trump appeared to react positively, calling the move “a very weak response” and thanking Tehran “for giving us early notice” to avoid any casualties. He then claimed Israel and Iran had agreed a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours.

ADVERTISEMENT

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X there was “NO ‘agreement’ on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations”. But he said Iran had “no intention” of continuing attacks if Israel stopped its “illegal aggression against the Iranian people” by 4am Tehran time (2am BST), around a quarter of an hour before his post.

He added a “final decision” on ending military operations would be made later. The Israeli UN mission said it had no comment on the president’s post while airstrikes targeted Tehran ahead of Mr Araghchi’s deadline.

Iran earlier responded with a warning to people in the Israeli city of Ramat Gan that it would target “military infrastructure” in the area. Foreign Secretary David Lammy had urged Iran to “take the off ramp” and return to the negotiating table with the US after American B-2 stealth bombers and a salvo of submarine-launched missiles hit Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday night.

But after a US security alert, the Foreign Office advised British nationals to “shelter in place” and Qatar shut its airspace as a precaution. The attacks came shortly after.

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said the UK was monitoring the “fast-changing situation” closely and that “the UK Government utterly condemns any escalation”. “Force protection now is at its highest state across all deployed units in the Middle East,” he told the Commons.

“The additional RAF Typhoon jets announced by the Prime Minister have now arrived in the region to reinforce our posture, deter threats and reassure our partners, and I want to be clear, we will not rule out sending further capabilities if they are required,” Mr Pollard said.

Meanwhile, the UK started evacuating Britons from Israel, with the first group of 63 flown back via Cyprus and due to return to the UK on Monday. Downing Street said “around 1,000” people had requested a seat on an evacuation flight – a quarter of the 4,000 who had registered their presence in Israel or Palestine with the Foreign Office.

The Government has withdrawn staff from its embassy in Iran and it is operating “remotely”, Mr Lammy told MPs. The Foreign Secretary previously spoke of a two-week window for a diplomatic solution after Mr Trump’s apparent decision last week to delay US military action.

On Monday, he said the window had “narrowed” but told MPs the need for a diplomatic solution remained. Mr Lammy said: “My message for Tehran was clear, take the off ramp, dial this thing down, and negotiate with the United States seriously and immediately.

“The alternative is an even more destructive and far-reaching conflict, which could have unpredictable consequences.”

Downing Street had said that preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear bomb was a “good thing” for the UK, but declined to comment on whether the US strikes complied with international law. Meanwhile, oil prices reached their highest level for nearly six months over fears a regional conflict could restrict supply, especially if Iran decided to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr Lammy told MPs the Government was “closely monitoring” the energy markets and urged Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, saying a blockade would be “a monumental act of economic self-harm” and make reaching a diplomatic solution even harder.