Iran threat to UK is significant and rising, lawmakers say
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Missile Launched From Yemen Falls Before Reaching Israel, IDF Official Says
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Thursday that at least 20 Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas are still alive. Netanyahu expressed hope that a deal for their release could be completed within days. Netanyahu also indicated that a potential agreement would include a significant pause in fighting. He reiterated his long-standing position that the conflict could cease immediately if Hamas were to surrender: “This could end tomorrow – today if Hamas lays down its arms”
Speaking in an interview on the Newsmax show “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” Netanyahu provided an updated assessment of the remaining captives. “We have 50 left; 20 definitely alive, and some 30 that are not alive, and I want to take them all out,” Netanyahu said. He added, “We now have a deal that supposedly we’ll get half of the living and half of the dead out, and so we’ll have 10 living left and about 12 deceased hostages. But I’ll get them out, too. I hope we can complete in a few days.”
Netanyahu also indicated that a potential agreement would include a significant pause in fighting. “We’ll probably have a 60-day ceasefire. Get the first batch out and then use the 60 days to try to negotiate an end to this,” he stated. He reiterated his long-standing position that the conflict could cease immediately if Hamas were to surrender: “And this could end tomorrow – today if Hamas lays down its arms.”
The prime minister accused Hamas of deliberately endangering its own population. “It is a fighting force and a governing force in Gaza that oppresses its people, targets our people, our civilians, and uses their civilians as human shields,” Netanyahu told Van Susteren. He claimed that Hamas prevents civilians from leaving war zones to use them for propaganda. “They shoot them because they want the pictures of dead civilians that they are causing put on Israel’s head.”
Netanyahu also said that Palestinians in Gaza are beginning to resist Hamas, asserting that “Palestinians in Gaza are fighting Hamas. Palestinians in Gaza are defying Hamas.” He added that he believes the war goal of defeating Hamas is achievable and expressed confidence in securing peace with Arab neighbors.
British Lawmakers Warn Iranian Threat to UK Is Significant and Rising
A report found that the British government was ill prepared to cope with the risk posed by the Islamic republic. Iran views Britain, whom it calls “the cunning fox,” as “a significant adversary” The report further said that there have been 15 Iranian-backed murder or kidnap attempts against British citizens or UK-based individuals between the beginning of 2022 and August 2023.Tehran’s embassy in London said it rejected the findings of the report, calling it full of “unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations.” It said it “firmly denies all allegations made in these sections and considers them to be baseless, irresponsible, and reflective of a broader pattern of distortion intended to malign Iran’s legitimate regional and national interests”
Iran poses a significant, wide-ranging, and rising danger to the United Kingdom, for which the government is not fully prepared, according to a report released by British lawmakers on Thursday.
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee said the threat from Tehran ranged from physical attacks and possible assassinations of dissidents and Jewish targets, to espionage, cyberattacks, and its continued attempts to develop nuclear weapons.
While the report concluded the Islamic Republic did not pose a similar level of threat as that from Russia or China, committee chair Lord Kevan Jones said that, “[Iran is] there across the full spectrum of the kinds of threats we have to be concerned with.”
The report also stated that the government’s policy on Iran “has suffered from a focus on crisis management, driven by concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, to the exclusion of other issues.”
Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian history at the University of St Andrews, who was involved in the report, said that “strategy is not a word that I think has crossed the lips of policy-makers for a while, certainly with relation to Iran.”
“Nobody steps out and says, ‘What is the point? What is the overarching strategic overview? Where do we want to be in 20 years? Where do we want to be in 15 years? How do we get there?’” he said.
The report stated that Iran views Britain, whom it calls “the cunning fox,” as “a significant adversary—albeit one that sits behind the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia”—which was opposed to the Islamic Republic’s values and seeking regime change.
It assessed Tehran’s main strategic objectives regarding the UK to include “reducing the UK’s military presence in the region; undermining the UK’s relationships with the United States and Israel; weakening the UK’s security relationships in the Middle East; and silencing criticism of Iran, either from the UK directly or from those residing in the UK.”
Among the suggestions put forward by the committee was that the British government should fully examine whether it would be practicable to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as it has Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
The IRGC is classed as a proscribed organization in the United States, Canada, and Sweden.
The report further said that there have been 15 Iranian-backed murder or kidnap attempts against British citizens or UK-based individuals between the beginning of 2022 and August 2023.
Although no evidence was given to the committee concerning the period after August 2023, the committee said its recommendations remained relevant, with subsequent events seeming to bear that out.
In March, Britain said it would require the Iranian state to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK, subjecting Tehran to the highest tier of scrutiny in light of what it said was increasingly aggressive activity.
In December, two Romanians were charged after a journalist working for a Persian language media organization in London was stabbed in the leg, while in June, a trio of Iranians appeared in court charged with assisting Iran’s foreign intelligence service and plotting violence against journalists.
Tehran’s embassy in London said it rejected the findings of the report, calling it full of “unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations.”
statement from the embassy said it “firmly denies all allegations made in these sections and considers them to be baseless, irresponsible, and reflective of a broader pattern of distortion intended to malign Iran’s legitimate regional and national interests.”
Starmer, Macron unveil migration deal, plans for Ukraine
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced tougher migration controls on Thursday. They also signed deals on defence, nuclear cooperation and plans to support Ukraine in case of a ceasefire. Starmer is working to address high levels of immigration, including asylum seekers arriving by small boats across the Channel from France. The two leaders said they had agreed a “one in, one out” returns scheme – which would see Britain deporting to France undocumented people arriving in small boats, in return for accepting an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections. The policy is similar to a scheme used by the EU and Turkey, but carries risks for Macron from his right-wing political critics who may question why he has agreed to take back migrants wanting to live in Britain. It was unclear, however, whether the agreement would have a big impact. A government source said they were looking at about 50 returns a week, or 2,600 a year, a fraction of the more than 35,000 arrivals reported by the government last year.
Pair announce post-ceasefire plans for Ukraine
Pacts include ordering more missiles, nuclear cooperation
LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced tougher migration controls on Thursday, ending a state visit with deals on defence, nuclear cooperation and plans to support Ukraine in case of a ceasefire.
After hosting Macron for a three-day visit that included a carriage procession to Windsor Castle with King Charles and a state banquet, Starmer was handed a much-desired boost when Macron said France had agreed to a migrant returns scheme.
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Starmer, who has seen his popularity fall since winning an election landslide last year, is working to address high levels of immigration, including asylum seekers arriving by small boats across the Channel from France, to try to stem the rise of the populist Reform UK party, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage.
At a joint press conference, the two leaders said they had agreed a “one in, one out” returns scheme – which would see Britain deporting to France undocumented people arriving in small boats, in return for accepting an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections.
“I’m pleased to announce our agreement today on a groundbreaking returns pilot. For the very first time, migrants arriving in small boats will be detained and returned to France in short order,” Starmer said, standing alongside Macron.
“This will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain.”
It was unclear, however, whether the agreement would have a big impact. In a joint declaration, it cited the need for the deal to get “prior legal scrutiny in full transparency and understanding with the Commission and EU member states” – something that could potentially take some time.
A government source said they were looking at about 50 returns a week, or 2,600 a year, a fraction of the more than 35,000 arrivals reported by the government last year. Another source said the scheme could be scaled up.
More than 21,000 people have arrived on small boats so far in 2025, a record number for this stage of the year.
Fabian Hamilton, a lawmaker in Starmer’s Labour Party, said he was “sceptical that this is the answer”.
Item 1 of 5 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron attend a plenary at the UK-France Summit, in Downing Street, London, Britain July 10, 2025. Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERS [1/5] British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron attend a plenary at the UK-France Summit, in Downing Street, London, Britain July 10, 2025. Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
‘MIGRATION PULL FACTORS’
The policy, which is similar to a scheme used by the EU and Turkey, carries risks for Macron from his right-wing political critics who may question why he has agreed to take back migrants wanting to live in Britain.
Macron criticised Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, saying “a lot of people in your country explained that Brexit would allow you to fight more efficiently against illegal immigration” but that it resulted in “the exact opposite”.
He had earlier called on Britain to address ” migration pull factors “, suggesting it should be harder for migrants in Britain to find work without legal residential status.
Starmer said Britain’s nationwide crackdown on illegal working, which he described as being on a “completely unprecedented scale”, would mean the jobs migrants had been promised would no longer exist.
Underlining their desire for closer ties between the two countries, which were damaged when Britain left the EU in 2020, the two leaders agreed to strengthen their defence cooperation and both participated in a call of the ” coalition of the willing “, nations that plan to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
On the call, Starmer told Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy, it was time to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table to try to secure a peace deal. In the meantime, the focus should be on ensuring Ukraine was in the strongest possible position.
They agreed Paris would be the new headquarters of the “coalition of the willing”, rotating to London after the first 12 months. The group of nations would form a post-ceasefire force to regenerate land forces, secure Ukraine’s skies and support safer seas.
“Supporting Ukraine is not just the right thing to do, it’s essential for delivering security at home,” said Starmer.
Both pledged to order more Storm Shadow cruise missiles, now used in Ukraine, and signed an agreement to deepen their nuclear cooperation, which will say for the first time that the respective deterrents of both countries can be coordinated.
“As close partners and NATO allies, the UK and France have a deep history of defence collaboration and today’s agreements take our partnership to the next level,” Starmer said.
Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Elizabeth Pineau, Andrew MacAskill. Additional reporting by Muvija M, Sachin Ravikumara and Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Alex Richardson, Bernadette Baum and Andrew Heavens
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UK and France reach agreement on pilot migrant returns programme
Britain on Thursday reached an agreement with France on a pilot programme to return migrants arriving in small boats. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “Migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order” Starmer said that for every migrant returned, a different individual would be allowed to come here via a safe route.
LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) – Britain on Thursday reached an agreement with France on a pilot programme to return migrants arriving in small boats, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
“Migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order,” Starmer said at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.
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Starmer said that for every migrant returned, a different individual would be allowed “to come here via a safe route: controlled and legal, subject to strict security checks and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK illegally.”
Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Sachin Ravikumar, writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by William James
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Iran threat to UK is significant and rising, lawmakers say
Iran poses a significant and wide-ranging threat to Britain, British lawmakers say. Threat includes physical attacks on and potential assassinations of dissidents and Jewish targets. Iran’s embassy in London said it rejected the “unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations” The committee said the British government should fully examine whether it would be practicable to proscribe Iran’s hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “Iran is there across the full spectrum of all the kinds of threats we have to be concerned with,” the committee chair, Kevan Jones, said in a statement.
LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) – Iran poses a significant and wide-ranging threat to Britain and, while not in the same league as Russia or China, it is one that is rising and for which the UK government is not fully prepared, British lawmakers said in a report released on Thursday.
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee said the Iranian threat varied from physical attacks on and potential assassinations of dissidents and Jewish targets, to espionage, offensive cyber capabilities and its attempt to develop nuclear weapons.
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“Iran is there across the full spectrum of all the kinds of threats we have to be concerned with,” the committee chair, Kevan Jones, said in a statement.
“We remain concerned that the government’s policy on Iran has been focused on crisis management and has been primarily driven by concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme – to the exclusion of other issues.”
Iran’s embassy in London said it rejected the “unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations”.
“Such accusations are not only defamatory but also dangerous, fuelling unnecessary tensions and undermining diplomatic norms,” it said in a statement.
The committee said the British government should fully examine whether it would be practicable to proscribe Iran’s hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an action that some lawmakers have long called for.
Although the evidence given to the committee concluded in August 2023, the lawmakers said their recommendations about action the government should take remained relevant.
Last year, the head of Britain’s domestic spy agency MI5 said that, since January 2022, his service and British police had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who were regarded by Tehran as a threat.
In March, Britain said it would require the Iranian state to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK, subjecting Tehran to an elevated tier of scrutiny in light of what it said was increasingly aggressive activity.
British security services say Tehran uses criminal proxies to carry out its work in Britain.
In December, two Romanians were charged after a journalist working for a Persian language media organisation in London was stabbed in the leg , while just last month three Iranian men appeared in court charged with assisting Iran’s foreign intelligence service and plotting violence against journalists.
Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by William James and Alex Richardson
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