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Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says the UK will not be drawn into a wider war in the Middle East, adding 'our decisions will be based on UK values and the UK national interest' in the statement for the House of Commons.
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Transcript
00:00So our response is based on clear principles and calm leadership.
00:05We will support UK households under pressure.
00:08We will protect our people in the region.
00:11We will defend our allies under attack.
00:14And as the Prime Minister said yesterday, we will not be drawn into a wider war, nor
00:20will we outsource our foreign policy.
00:23Our decisions will be based on UK values and the UK national interest.
00:31Turning to the conflict itself, as the Prime Minister set out to Parliament, we took the
00:35decision not to be involved in the initial US strikes or to join any offensive operations.
00:42We have taken a different position on this to the US and Israel, based on what is in
00:48the UK national interest.
00:49When Iran began to target other countries across the region, putting our partners and
00:56citizens in danger, we took the further decision to support defensive action.
01:02We want to see an end to this war as quickly as possible.
01:05The longer it goes on, the more dangerous the situation becomes and the more pressure on
01:09the cost of living here at home.
01:12Iran's capabilities have been massively degraded.
01:14But this conflict has confirmed the threat the regime poses through its weapons and its
01:20proxies.
01:20And why, for so long, there has been international determination that Iran should never be able
01:26to develop nuclear weapons.
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