Wes Streeting became Britain's Defence Secretary on 21 July 2026. In his first few days, he made two things clear: the UK will not join the United States' military attacks on Iran, and he thinks a recent Russian warship exercise in the English Channel was "irresponsible" and showy. Reuters

Speaking to the BBC, Streeting said the UK has not taken part and will not take part in offensive American military action in Iran. But he said Britain and the US were "absolutely aligned" on keeping ships free to move through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a narrow strip of water between Iran and Oman that carries a large share of the world's oil and gas. BBC News

Asked whether Iran could attack the UK, Streeting said people should not be frightened by Iran's threats. He said they should not put too much stock in what the regime had said that week. The BBC reported his comments during the ongoing US war with Iran.

Streeting said he had a delightful phone call with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and would meet him in the coming week. The meeting will be an early test of how the UK and US defence relationship works under Streeting. It comes as the Iran conflict keeps disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The effects on ordinary people are direct. Streeting said the crisis was pushing up energy prices and the cost of living, so keeping the shipping route safe mattered. He said the UK was ready to lead a naval mission to clear mines from the Strait when the time was right. He described this as a defensive move to protect trade, not a step toward joining the US offensive campaign.

This fits with what Streeting said before. In April 2026, he called the lack of progress in Iran war talks "disappointing" and said the UK would judge Donald Trump by his actions, not his words. Straits Times

On Russia, Streeting was just as blunt. He called the Russian warship's live-firing exercise in the English Channel performative, meaning it was more about showing off than real military need. He said it was a reminder of the "unsafe and unprofessional" way Russia has been behaving, and called the incident irresponsible. BBC News

Streeting added that the public does not see the large-scale daily work to counter Russian aggression. This appears to refer to surveillance and counter-subversion efforts carried out across the armed forces and intelligence agencies.

The broader context here is that Streeting is setting out his priorities early. On Iran, he wants to keep the shipping lane open and protect the cost of living, but he will not join the US war. On Russia, he says the threat is real but people should not panic over showpiece provocations, and that the daily work to counter Russia is bigger than most people realise.

For a Defence Secretary in his first week, the balance is striking. Streeting is drawing a line between what he will do, defend commercial shipping in the Gulf, and what he will not, join the US offensive against Iran. His meeting with Hegseth will show whether Washington accepts that gap.