Overview
- The Foreign Secretary held a roughly 90-minute meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday to discuss Iran, Ukraine, Gaza and global trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Both sides issued readouts committing to safe transit in the Strait and to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with Miliband stressing a lasting ceasefire would ease British fuel and food price pressures.
- Rubio used the meeting to press Europe to take on a greater role in its own defence and specifically urged the UK to increase defence spending to share security burdens more evenly.
- Miliband said his past public criticisms of President Trump did not arise in the talks and described the meeting as 'very productive,' while U.S. officials and the ambassador have publicly signalled reservations about his earlier remarks and energy record.
- Miliband will also meet World Bank president Ajay Banga during the Washington visit to discuss development, climate resilience and the wider humanitarian and economic fallout from the Iran conflict.