British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has sharply rejected former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s call for the United Kingdom to support the United States in a potential military conflict with Iran. In an interview with Sky News, Cooper said that blindly siding with any country would go against Britain’s national interest and emphasized learning from the mistakes of the 2003 Iraq war.

Blair had recently stated that Britain should have supported the US military action against Iran from the outset. Cooper disagreed, saying that neither unconditional support for the US nor total opposition to joint military action serves the UK’s interests. She added that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s responsibility is to protect British citizens and national security, which he is fulfilling.

The exchange highlights a continuing debate within the Labour Party over foreign policy and military alignment with the US. Analysts note that the current Labour government seeks a more cautious and independent stance in Middle East crises, drawing lessons from the controversial Iraq war.