Starmer warns Iran could face consequences over antisemitic attacks

A fire at the former East London Central Synagogue in Whitechapel has pushed Britain’s antisemitism crisis into sharper focus, with Keir Starmer warning that Iran could face consequences if investigators prove a link to a wave of attacks across London.

Police were called at 05:16 a.m. on Tuesday to Nelson Street in Tower Hamlets after the London Fire Brigade reported flames at the former synagogue. Metropolitan Police said the blaze caused only minor damage to gates and a lock at the front of the building, and no one was injured. Counter Terrorism Policing London is treating it as a further arson incident.

The case lands after a series of attacks that have left Jewish communities on edge. In March, four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community charity were torched in Golders Green. Last week, two Jewish men were stabbed in north London in what police have called terrorism. Investigators have also been examining a synagogue firebombing and attempted arsons at other Jewish sites.

Starmer told community leaders that the attacks formed part of a wider pattern of rising antisemitism and had left Jewish communities frightened and asking whether Britain was safe for them. He met leaders from across society in Downing Street on Tuesday to discuss a whole-of-society response. The prime minister also said new legislation targeting what he called malign threats would be fast-tracked.

The warning over Iran matters because it sets a high evidentiary bar. Police and government officials have said one line of inquiry is whether a foreign state, including Iran, is behind some incidents. That is a far stronger claim than saying suspects may have ideological sympathies or online links. To move from suspicion to state responsibility, investigators would need to show direction, financing, coordination or some other operational connection, not just shared messaging or coincident rhetoric.

Officials are also looking at claims online from a pro-Iran group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which has said it was responsible for several attacks and has claimed similar incidents in Europe. That makes the inquiry more than a local policing matter. If the evidence supports it, the consequences could reach from criminal charges and proscription-style measures to broader diplomatic pressure on Tehran and tighter scrutiny of proxy networks operating in Britain.

The backdrop is stark. The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the U.K. in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022, the second-highest annual total it has ever recorded. Steve Reed said Jewish people should be able to live their lives openly and that social media companies need to do more to tackle antisemitism online. The Whitechapel fire caused little physical damage, but in a country already confronting a surge in antisemitic abuse, its political weight is far greater than the scorch marks at the gate.