US-Iran talks ending without deal disappointing, Streeting says

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said it is "disappointing" initial talks to end the war in Iran had broken down without a deal, as he defended the UK's decision not to join the conflict.

The US and Iran have held talks to end the war but the negotiations in Pakistan ended without agreement in the early hours of Sunday.

Streeting said the UK - which is not involved in the talks - wanted to see a negotiated end to the war that "puts Iran's nuclear ambitions to bed".

The cabinet minister said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had made "the right choice" not to commit the UK to joining US-Israeli military strikes on Iran.

The two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US appears fragile after the two sides failed to reach an agreement to end the war.

US Vice-President JD Vance was in Pakistan for the talks and said Iran's refusal to commit to not build a nuclear weapon was the main reason for the lack of a deal.

On the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Streeting said: "It's obviously disappointing that the talks have broken down for now.

"But the optimist in me says two things; firstly, the mere fact that the Americans and the Iranians were able to get around the table together is highly unusual and necessary.

"It's the only way we're going to end this war.

"Secondly, the nature of diplomacy is that every day ends in failure until you achieve success.

"So I don't think we should be too surprised or disheartened."

Speaking to Sky News earlier, Streeting described President Trump's threat last week that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless Iran agreed a deal to end the war as "outrageous" and "extraordinary".

But the cabinet minister told the BBC it was better to judge Trump on his actions, not his words.

"If there's one thing we've learned about President Trump, particularly in this term, it also applies to his first term, you have to draw a distinction between what he says and how he says it, particularly on social media, and what he does," Streeting said.

Differences over the war in Iran and other international issues have strained the relationship between the UK and the US.

Earlier this week, Sir Keir said he was "fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down... because of the actions of Putin or Trump".

Streeting said Sir Keir was not going to "shoot from the hip" in his comments about international affairs.

Sir Keir has spoken to Trump about the need for a plan to get ships going through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been blocked by Iran during the conflict.

This week, the UK will host further talks on reopening the vital shipping lane with a coalition of countries.

The meeting will continue the UK government's efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the strait, which provides shipping routes for oil and gas.