PA MediaHealth Secretary Wes Streeting has said it is "disappointing" initial talks to end the war in Iran had broken down without a deal, as he defended the UK's decision not to join the conflict.
The US and Iran have held talks to end the war but the negotiations in Pakistan concluded without agreement in the early hours of Sunday.
Streeting said the UK - which is not involved in the talks - wanted to see a negotiated end to the war that "puts Iran's nuclear ambitions to bed".
The cabinet minister also said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had made "the right choice" not to commit the UK to joining US-Israeli military strikes on Iran.
The two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US appears fragile after the two sides failed to reach an agreement to end the war.
US Vice-President JD Vance was in Pakistan for the talks and said Iran's refusal to commit to not build a nuclear weapon was the main reason for the lack of a deal.
On the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Streeting said: "It's obviously disappointing that the talks have broken down for now.
"But the optimist in me says two things; firstly, the mere fact that the Americans and the Iranians were able to get around the table together is highly unusual and necessary.
"It's the only way we're going to end this war.
"Secondly, the nature of diplomacy is that every day ends in failure until you achieve success.
"So I don't think we should be too surprised or disheartened."
Speaking to Sky News earlier, Streeting described President Trump's threat last week that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless Iran agreed a deal to end the war as "outrageous" and "extraordinary".
But the cabinet minister told the BBC it was better to judge Trump on his actions, not his words.
"If there's one thing we've learned about President Trump, particularly in this term, it also applies to his first term, you have to draw a distinction between what he says and how he says it, particularly on social media, and what he does," Streeting said.
On Sunday, Sir Keir spoke to the the Sultan of Oman on the phone and in a statement, Downing Street said the leaders agreed the US, Israel and Iran should avoid "any further escalation".
"They discussed the peace talks held in Pakistan over the weekend and urged both sides to find a way through," the statement added.
Differences over the war in Iran and other international issues have strained the historically close relationship between the UK and the US.
Earlier this week, Sir Keir said he was "fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down... because of the actions of Putin or Trump".
Streeting said Sir Keir was not going to "shoot from the hip" in his comments about international affairs.
Sir Keir has spoken to Trump about the need for a plan to get ships going through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been blocked by Iran during the conflict.
This week, the UK will host further talks on reopening the vital shipping lane with a coalition of countries.
The meeting will continue the UK government's efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the strait, which provides shipping routes for oil and gas.
Streeting said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was having an "ongoing conversation" about the strait with allies in the region and around the world.
When asked if the UK would send Royal Navy vessels to escort ships through the strait, Streeting said "it would be premature for me to say anything at this stage".
Chagos U-turn denied
Another issue Streeting was asked about is the UK's deal to hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The Chagos Islands - officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory - are located in the Indian Ocean and Britain has controlled them since the early 19th Century.
But fearing international legal action that could threaten a joint UK-US military base on the Chagos Islands, the British government struck a deal with Mauritius, which has claimed sovereignty over the territory.
On Friday, the UK government said it had shelved the deal after the US failed to formally confirm its approval.
Streeting, on Sunday, insisted the UK government had not "U-turned" on the deal.
Instead, he said "elements of the US administration have had a change of heart" and the UK needed to "iron out some of the difficulties".
Rising food prices
Also appearing on the programme, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for action to bring down food prices which are rising, in part, due to the war in Iran.
Analysts say the increases are largely being driven by a sharp rise in energy costs, following disruption to oil and gas supplies in the Middle East.
Sir Ed said food price inflation was "going to hit us big time later this year, so we've got to start taking action".
The Liberal Democrats are backing calls to introduce a law that would put duties on the government to prioritise food security.
The party is also calling for a £1bn increase in the farming budget to support British food production.
Sir Ed said he did not "know how quickly it would bring down food prices", but added "unless you support farmers properly, you can't expect them to increase production".
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