Britain’s defense minister said his country has not supported and will not support a hostile course of action against the Islamic Republic.

In an interview with Sky News, Wallace Stearing added that he had stated this position clearly in his first working week to Pete Hegseth, his American counterpart.

Stearing took on the post on 29 Tir, during the formation of the cabinet of Andy Burnham, the new prime minister of the United Kingdom. In the same week, he discussed with Hegseth maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and NATO commitments.

He said, however, that there are many areas for cooperation between the two countries, from ensuring security in the Strait of Hormuz and preventing the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons to investing in Britain’s and NATO’s military capabilities.

Stearing also said that Europe will one day be grateful to Donald Trump, the U.S. president, for pulling the continent out of its inertia and for forcing NATO allies to assume responsibility for their own security.