Boris Johnson finally breaks silence on Iran crisis with call for calm, but adds 'we will not lament' Soleimani death

Prime minister demands Tehran end its threats of 'retaliation or reprisals' - but stops short of echoing his foreign secretary's backing for US action

A protest against the assassination was staged outside the US embassy in London (PA)

Boris Johnson has broken his silence on the US assassination of Iran’s top military general, calling for Tehran to end threats of “retaliation or reprisals”.

Following growing criticism of his failure to comment on the killing – as he continued a luxury Caribbean holiday – the prime minister spoke to Donald Trump and EU leaders on his return to London.

In a brief statement, Mr Johnson said the UK “will not lament” the death of Qasem Soleimani, blaming him for “the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and western personnel”.

He added: “It is clear, however, that all calls for retaliation or reprisals will simply lead to more violence in the region, and they are in no one’s interest.”

Downing Street made clear the call was a reference to Tehran’s threats of revenge rather than Mr Trump’s bellicose warning that he would bomb 52 Iranian sites if the country did retaliate.

Nevertheless, Mr Johnson stopped short of echoing his foreign secretary Dominic Raab’s earlier backing for Washington’s “right” to carry out the airstrike, which happened at Baghdad Airport on Friday.

Mr Raab provoked anger by saying the UK “understands the position the US found themselves in” faced with the choice of whether to kill General Soleimani, adding that the US had “a right to self-defence”.

Notably, the shift came after Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state – who will host Mr Raab on Thursday – criticised the UK, France and Germany for failing to be “as helpful as I wish that they could be”.

John McDonnell, Labour’s shadow chancellor, reacted to those comments by tweeting: “Raab’s craven support for Trump’s reckless & potentially disastrous action adds to risk of full scale war.”

And Lisa Nandy, a Labour leadership contender, suggested that the UK’s refusal to criticise was because it was “begging the US for a trade deal” as Brexit loomed.

The statement said Mr Johnson would be “speaking to other leaders and our Iraqi friends”, having already spoken to Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.

Ministers are due to meet on Monday to discuss the crisis, which has raised fears of all-out war, but no statement can be made to MPs until they return on Tuesday.

Earlier, a non-legally binding bill passed by Iraq’s parliament called for the expulsion of all foreign forces.

Some 400 UK troops are stationed in Iraq in the fight against Islamic State, while the US has 5,200, prompting fears of a withdrawal that could cripple the battle against the terror group.

The Ministry of Defence is understood to be awaiting the decision of the Iraqi government before acting over the soldiers based there as part of the US-led coalition.