British Chancellor Rachel Reeves has issued her sharpest public criticism yet of Donald Trump's decision to wage war against Iran, describing it as a "folly" driven by unclear objectives and no exit plan. Speaking ahead of an International Monetary Fund spring meeting in Washington, Reeves said the conflict — which has led to a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz (the narrow waterway through which a significant share of global oil passes) — is already pushing up energy prices and threatening inflation in the UK and beyond. The IMF has since cut its UK growth forecast for 2025 from 1.3% to 0.8%, the steepest downward revision among G7 nations, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has kept Britain out of the conflict and will co-chair an international summit in Paris to discuss restoring safe passage through the strait.