Iranian president tells Keir Starmer that retaliation is ‘a right of nations’

Keir Starmer spoke with Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone conversation on Monday (James Manning/PA)

Iran’s president has told UK prime minister Keir Starmer that Tehran considers retaliation against Israel over the July killing of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh a right, and a way to discourage future aggression.

A report by the official IRNA news agency said President Masoud Pezeshkian told Starmer in a phone conversation on Monday that a punitive response to an aggressor was “a right of nations and a solution for stopping crimes and aggression”.