PNN – In his first official statement regarding international developments, the new British Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, emphasized the need to continue efforts to end aggression against Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; Miliband stated that the British government must play its part in bringing an end to the aggression against Iran.
He said that pursuing Britain’s interests and values means playing a role in efforts to end the conflict involving Iran and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In this statement, the new British Foreign Secretary—without mentioning the United States’ role in instigating and escalating the war against Iran and its military aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran’s civilian infrastructure—described regional developments as part of the growing instability within the international system.
He claimed that the world is facing a level of instability and threats to international law and democracy unprecedented since the Second World War.
Miliband also identified the war in Ukraine and developments in West Asia as factors contributing to rising insecurity and the worsening cost-of-living crisis for families and businesses in the UK, stating that London must cooperate with other nations to defend its interests.
Elsewhere in his statement, the British Foreign Secretary announced that the country’s new government would continue to support Ukraine and strengthen strategic cooperation with the European Union.
He also affirmed that London would remain committed to its obligations toward multilateral institutions, including NATO and the United Nations.
Regarding developments in Palestine, Miliband stated that the British government must strive to achieve lasting peace in Palestine and the occupied territories and put an end to the horrific suffering of the people of Gaza.
The new British Foreign Secretary also identified tackling the climate crisis, strengthening development cooperation, and reforming international institutions as other key priorities for the country’s diplomatic apparatus.
Miliband took the helm of the country’s diplomatic service just hours ago, appointed by the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham.
He is the second member of the new cabinet—following UK Chancellor John Healey—whose appointment has been officially announced.
Burnham also began the process of forming the new government just hours after Keir Starmer stepped down and received his mandate as Prime Minister from the British monarch.
He was elected last Friday as the new leader of the ruling Labour Party, succeeding Starmer, and has now assumed the role of the UK’s seventh Prime Minister in the last decade, taking charge of a government facing extensive economic, social, and foreign policy challenges.