No 10 has urged Iraq to allow UK troops to stay in the country following the US assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, saying their work is vital.
Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq on Friday on the orders of President Donald Trump.
Iraqi MPs responded to the strike by passing a non-binding resolution calling for an end to the foreign military presence in their country.
European leaders have called for all sides to show restraint.
Boris Johnson spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi by phone on Monday morning, and a Downing Street spokesman said the leaders had “agreed to work together to find a diplomatic way forward”.
“The prime minister underlined the UK's unwavering commitment to Iraq's stability and sovereignty and emphasised the importance of the continued fight against the shared threat from Daesh [the Islamic State group]”.
Mr Johnson then chaired a meeting of senior ministers to discuss the deepening crisis.
Afterwards, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the government's key message was the “importance of de-escalating the tensions and finding a diplomatic way through this crisis”.
He also distanced the UK from the US president's threat that cultural sites in Iran could be targeted, saying: “We have been clear…
