"UK PM Sir Keir Starmer appeared to hit back at Donald Trump, saying he wouldn't be 'drawn into the wider war' in Iran, after the US president called on allies to step up and help with the Strait of Hormuz, speaking from London on Monday. "Our priority is always the national interest," said Starmer. "While taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war." "We have to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ensure stability in the market. That is not a simple task. So we're working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation," he continued. He also suggested his main focus was the UK 'cost of living'. "We will continue to work towards a swift resolution of the situation in the Middle East because there is no question. Ending the war is the quickest way to reduce the cost of living," he added. The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28. Tehran responded with strikes on Israel and US assets in the region. The conflict soon widened to Israel and Hezbollah trading strikes across the border with Lebanon too. It has seen soaring worldwide energy prices and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz - which handles 20 per cent of global oil traffic. Iran has said that it will not allow vessels benefiting the US and allies to travel through, while Trump said that NATO faced a 'very bad future' if allies did not help. "