Donald Trump torn apart in House of Commons - 'dangerous corrupt gangster' Ed Davey made the comments as he called on the Sir Keir Starmer to advise King Charles to cancel his upcoming visit to the United States Ed Davey lambasted Donald Trump in the House of Commons today, accusing the US President of being a "dangerous and corrupt gangster". The leader of the Liberal Democrats made the comments as he called on the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to advise King Charles to cancel his upcoming visit to the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It comes amid the fallout from the US and Israel's deeply controversial war in Iran, which began in late February and led to Tehran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route in the oil trade. In the weeks that followed, Trump has bashed Britain and other NATO allies for not joining the conflict as he comes under pressure to de-escalate. Trump sparked further fury with a chilling threat to Iran ahead of the start of a two-week ceasefire between the two nations that's now in effect. In a post on Truth Social, the President said: "A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will." READ MORE: Channel 5 star loses it with caller live on-air in furious Trump row READ MORE: Iranian president sides with Pope Leo as row over Trump's 'Jesus' image explodes Keir Starmer refuses to join Trump’s Hormuz blockade Addressing the Commons, Mr Davey said they were words "I never thought I would hear from an American president". "And though Donald Trump thankfully didn't follow through this time, these words are a stark reminder of how reckless, immoral, and completely outside the bounds of international law this President is," he added. "Regrettably, he is no friend of the United Kingdom, he is no leader of the free world, he is a dangerous and corrupt gangster, and that is how we must treat him. "So will the Prime Minister advise the King to call off his state visit to Washington before it's too late, because I really fear for what Trump might say or do while our King is forced to stand by his side. We cannot put His Majesty in that position." He also rejected Trump's decision to block all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, starting at 10am ET (2pm GMT) today after efforts to reach a peace deal broke down. Trump says his order is in response to Iran "knowingly failing" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He also warns the US Navy will "blow to hell" any Iranians that attack them and will interdict any ship found paying transit tolls to Iran. Mr Davey said the move "only escalates this crisis, and jeopardises the precarious ceasefire", saying Sir Keir was right in his decision to keep Britain out of it. "And I welcome the Prime Minister convening a summit to offer an alternative to Trump's. We must work with our reliable allies in Europe, and the Commonwealth, and our partners in the Gulf to bring this conflict to an end, and keep open the Strait of Hormuz," he added. "That is critical for tackling the cost-of-living crisis that is getting worse and worse for people in the UK. He asked if the Treasury would use windfalls it is receiving from higher fuel prices to cut living costs and keep the economy moving, reducing bus and rail fairs and cutting fuel duty by 10p today, bringing down the price at the pumps by 12p a litre. Sir Keir responded: In relation to the language about destroying a civilization, can I really be clear with this house: that was wrong. "A threat to Iranian civilians in that way is wrong. These are civilians, let's remember, who have suffered immeasurable harm by the regime in Iran for many long years. "And they're words and phrases I would never use on the behalf of this Government, which is guided by our principes and our values throughout all of this. "Mr Speaker, in relation to the King's visit, the relationship between our two countries is very important on a number levels, and often what the monarchy is able to do through the bonds that they build is reach through the decades on a situation like this." He noted that the purpose of the visit is to celebrate both the US's historical milestone and the relationship between America and Britain, "and that's why the visit is going ahead". "In relation to the blockade, let me be clear as I've already been in the last day or so: we are focusing our effort on opening in full the Strait of Hormuz, because of the damage it's doing to economies around the world, including our own economy. "That is why we have been working with other countries at various levels and will bring them together in a summit later this week. He reaffirmed that Britain would not be joining the blockade. Sir Keir added that help has been provided in the form of energy and oil heating bills support that's in place, and is keeping it under constant review as the situation evolves. The PM said the most effective thing they can do is to de-escalate the situation and work with others to get the shipping lane open.
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.