Sir Keir Starmer directly urged the Iranians not to attack Israel on Monday night in a rare telephone call with Tehran’s president.

The Prime Minister told Masoud Pezeshkian there was a “serious risk of miscalculation” and urged Iran to “refrain from attacking Israel”, according to a UK readout of the conversation.

Sir Keir became the first British prime minister in more than three years to have a call with an Iranian leader.

It came as the Israeli military was on high alert on Monday night amid reports Iran had ramped up preparations for a large-scale attack.

The White House said that both the US and Israel expected Iran and its proxies in the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, to launch an assault this week.

Iranian missile and drone units are reportedly being prepared for a direct attack on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, in Tehran last month.

The last prime minister to talk to their Iranian counterpart was Boris Johnson in March 2021, when the release of British-Iranian hostage Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was discussed.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said of Sir Keir’s call: “The Prime Minister said that he was deeply concerned by the situation in the region and called on all parties to de-escalate and avoid further regional confrontation.

“There was a serious risk of miscalculation and now was the time for calm and careful consideration, the Prime Minister said.

“He called on Iran to refrain from attacking Israel, adding that war was not in anyone’s interests.

“The Prime Minister underlined his commitment to an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza. He added the focus should be on diplomatic negotiations, to achieve those outcomes.”

Sir Keir also raised the issue of foreign detainees in Iran, called for “constructive” dialogue between the two nations, warned Tehran off threatening individuals in the UK and urged Iran not to further support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Israel’s allies, including the US, have said they will help defend it from any strike, including with the use of an American guided missile submarine deployed to the Middle East on Monday.

The strike could come within days, intelligence officials believe, and may take place before renewed ceasefire talks are held in either Doha or Cairo on Thursday.

John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, told reporters: “We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks.

“We share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have with respect to potential timing here. [It] could be this week.”

The assessment reverses the view taken last week that Iran was backing away from direct action against Israel and that an attack by its terrorist proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon was more likely.

An Israeli official told The Telegraph: “We expect there will be an attack in the coming days. Iran has the most to lose in this.”

Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, approved plans on Monday and said offensive and defensive preparations were under way, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, said: “We are in the days of vigilance and readiness.

“The threats from Tehran and Beirut may materialise and it is important to explain to everyone that readiness, preparedness and vigilance are not synonyms for fear and panic.”

Israeli officials said that the coalition ready to support Israel is as strong as in April, when the US, Britain, Jordan and other countries supported an anti-missile and drone effort in the skies above the country.

The US has said it will use all means at its disposal to protect Israel against an Iranian attack and the alliance of nations is expected to play a role in bringing down Iranian missiles and drones should they be fired again by Iran at Israel.

Following a call with Mr Gallant on Sunday evening, Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the region and said he was “accelerating” the dispatch of a second aircraft carrier group to bolster Israel’s defences.

The US deployed a separate warship to the Middle East last week, the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, in the wake of Israeli assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders in Beirut and Tehran respectively.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israel Defense Forces spokesman, said there were no changes to emergency guidelines for civilians in Israel.

A Downing Street spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday evening and expressed his deep concern over the risk of miscalculation in the region.

“He called on Iran to refrain from attacking Israel, adding that war was not in anyone’s interests,” the spokesman said.

Joe Biden spoke to the Prime Minister and the leaders of Germany, Italy and France on Monday evening and discussed their “support for the defence of Israel against Iranian aggression and against attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups”, according to a joint statement.

“We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” it said.

In an earlier joint statement, Germany, UK, and France had called for Iran and its allies to “refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions” and jeopardise a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Iran and its allies will “bear responsibility for actions that jeopardise this opportunity for peace and stability,” the leaders from the three countries said.

The fragile ceasefire negotiations took another hit on Sunday as Hamas announced it wouldn’t participate in the planned talks on Thursday, instead calling on Egypt, Qatar and the US to implement a ceasefire deal presented by the US president in late May.

Mr Biden told CBS News on Sunday that his plan, which was endorsed by the G7 and the UN Security Council, “is still viable.”

“And I’m working literally every single day – and my whole team – to see to it that it doesn’t escalate into a regional war. But it easily can,” he said.

Simmering tension

On Monday, long simmering tension between Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant broke into the open.

Mr Gallant ridiculed his boss’s war aims in public and Mr Netanyahu accused him of adopting an “anti-Israel narrative”.

Speaking at the Knesset foreign affairs and defence committee on Monday, Mr Gallant mocked those who imagined that Israel could achieve “total victory” over its enemies.

“I hear the heroes with the drums [of war], [talking about] ‘total victory’ and other nonsense,” he told the committee.

Mr Netanyahu immediately hit back: “When Gallant adopts the anti-Israeli narrative, he harms the chances of reaching a deal for the release of the hostages,” said a statement issued by his office.

“Israel has only one option: to achieve a decisive victory, which means eliminating Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities and freeing our hostages – and this victory will be achieved,” it added.

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