London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 19, 2025

Foreign Office warns against Iran and Iraq travel advice

The Foreign Office has hardened its travel advice for Iran and Iraq after the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US airstrike.

It warns British nationals not to travel to Iraq, except for essential travel to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and only essential travel to Iran.

The death has increased tensions in the region, where the UK has 400 troops.

The Royal Navy has resumed escorting British ships in the Gulf, where a tanker was seized last year.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said HMS Montrose and HMS Defender will accompany UK-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as it did between July and November following the seizure of the Stena Impero by Iran.

He said he spoke to his US counterpart Mark Esper on Friday and urged all parties to de-escalate the situation.

But Mr Wallace said: "Under international law the United States is entitled to defend itself against those posing an imminent threat to its citizens."

US forces in Iraq were "repeatedly attacked" by Iranian-backed militia and Gen Soleimani was "at the heart" of such efforts to undermine neighbouring nations and target Iran's enemies, he added.

Earlier Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry had called the UK government's response "pathetic".

Ms Thornberry said: "I don't understand why Britain isn't calling for an emergency meeting of the [UN] security council.

"I think there is a tremendous risk we could end up in another war and I think we have to do everything that we can to pull Donald Trump back from this."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for an urgent meeting of the Privy Council - the group that advises monarchs - over the airstrike.

Meanwhile, former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said the situation was "very, very risky" and the UK's job was to "use our influence to argue for consistent US policy".

The killing of Gen Soleimani marks a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran.

There were chants of "death to America" in the streets of Baghdad on Saturday as mourners took part in a funeral procession for him.


'Remain vigilant'

In its advice, published on Saturday, the Foreign Office said there is a risk that British or British-Iranian dual nationals "could be arbitrarily detained or arrested in Iran".

"The criminal justice process followed in such cases falls below international standards," it said.

The Foreign Office also said alerts for other parts of the Middle East were being increased, with calls for citizens to "remain vigilant" in nations including Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It advised people to keep up to date with developments via the media and its own travel advice.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "Given heightened tensions in the region, the FCO now advise people not to travel to Iraq, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and to consider carefully whether it's essential to travel to Iran. We will keep this under review."

Its advice for British-Iranian dual nationals remains unchanged, warning them not to travel to Iran.

It comes as the US has pledged to send 3,000 extra troops as a precaution.

The UK has 400 troops based in the Middle East and works alongside US forces in the region.

Mr Raab has previously urged for a calming of tensions, adding: "Further conflict is in none of our interests."


'We need to stand up to US'

On Saturday, around 150 people gathered outside Downing Street for an "emergency" protest organised by the Stop the War Coalition, urging the US to avoid more conflict with Iran.

Among them were shadow chancellor John McDonnell and shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Ms Thornberry - who has said she will run for the Labour leadership - called the airstrike a "deliberate and reckless escalation of the conflict with Iran".

"I'm very concerned we could get dragged into this," she said.

"We have a place on the security council, not so that we can play at being Donald Trump's mini-me or always agreeing with the Americans. There are times we need to stand up to them."

BBC News understands the prime minister was not warned about Friday's airstrike.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, former foreign secretary Mr Hunt said he thought it was "regrettable because, as one of the US's closest allies, I think it's an important aspect of that relationship that there are no surprises".

"But it may also have been because they didn't want to put us in a difficult position of asking us to make a judgement as to whether we agreed or not with what was done."

He added: "The UK cannot afford to be neutral if we want to be a serious global player."


'Urge restraint'

Writing to the prime minister, Mr Corbyn asked several questions including what the UK was told before the airstrike and what the government was doing to ensure the safety of UK nationals.

Earlier, he called the killing of Gen Soleimani a "US assassination" and said the UK "should urge restraint" from both Iran and the US.

Mr Corbyn became a member of the Privy Council in 2015. Its members include all former prime ministers and cabinet ministers as well as leaders of the opposition.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the situation as "extremely worrying" and urged all parties to "restrain from further violence and work to de-escalate tensions".

"Further conflict in the Middle East is in no-one's interests," she said.

The acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, called for an immediate statement from Mr Johnson about the UK's position, adding that Britain should "work with a broader group of concerned states at the United Nations".

Mr Raab spoke to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, although the time of the call is not known.

Mr Pompeo tweeted that he was "thankful that our allies recognise the continuing aggressive threats posed by the Iranian Quds Force".

In a statement, Mr Raab urged "all parties to de-escalate" after the killing of Gen Soleimani.

He said the UK "recognised the aggressive threat" Gen Soleimani posed, but "further conflict is in none of our interests".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Massive Strikes in France Pressure Macron and New PM on Austerity Proposals
Trump Seeks Supreme Court Permission to Remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook
Hillary Clinton’s Reckless Rhetoric Fuels Division After Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
NASDAQ Rises to Record as Intel Soars More Than 20%, Nvidia Gains 3%
Nvidia’s $5 Billion Bet on Intel Reshapes AI Hardware Landscape
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Trump’s Quip on Biden and Google Lawsuit Revives Debate Over Antitrust Legacy
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
×