Boris Johnson on Sunday urged Donald Trump to “de-escalate” tension with Iran to avert a conflagration in the Middle East, but gave implicit British support to the US president’s decision to assassinate Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
The British prime minister returned from a New Year break in the Caribbean facing an immediate test of his claim that he could be a “bridge” between Washington and Europe in the west’s handling of Iran.
Mr Johnson held talks with Mr Trump, agreeing with the US president that Soleimani “posed a threat to all our interests and was responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour” in the Middle East.
“Given the leading role he has played in actions that have led to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and western personnel, we will not lament his death,” Mr Johnson said.
But after also speaking to Angela Merkel, German chancellor, and Emmanuel Macron, French president, Mr Johnson said: “It is clear that all calls for retaliation or reprisals will simply lead to more violence in the region and they are in no-one’s interest.”
In a joint statement issued later on Sunday, the three leaders said: “There is now an urgent need for de-escalation. We call on all parties to exercise utmost restraint and responsibility. The current cycle of violence in Iraq must be stopped. We specifically call on Iran to refrain from further violent action or proliferation, and urge Iran to reverse all measures inconsistent with the JCPOA (nuclear deal).”
Given the leading role he has played in actions that have led to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and western personnel, we will not lament his death
Britain’s refusal to criticise the US drone strike — an attempt to retain some kind of influence in Washington — was reinforced by Dominic Raab, UK foreign secretary, who said the US had “a right to self-defence”.
“We understand the action the Americans have taken,” Mr Raab told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show. British officials said it was for Washington to demonstrate the legality of the action.
Britain is anxious to maintain strong relations with the Trump administration as it prepares to leave the EU, but is also working with France and Germany to try to keep alive the nuclear deal that Tehran signed with world powers in 2015.
On Sunday evening Iran said it would no longer abide by any of the restrictions imposed by the agreement, particularly its capacity for enrichment, the level of enrichment or the stock of enriched material.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, spoke to Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, over the weekend and called for de-escalation and continued efforts to save the nuclear agreement.
Mr Borrell “expressed his deep concern about the latest increase of violent confrontations in Iraq, including the killing of General Qassem Soleimani,” the EU said in a statement on Sunday morning.
The stand-off between Washington and Tehran was triggered by Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the nuclear accord in 2018 and impose crippling sanctions on the Islamic republic.
European powers have shared the Trump administration’s concerns about Iran’s regional behaviour and missile programme.
Mr Trump gave no advance warning to Mr Johnson ahead of the drone strike, despite the presence of hundreds of British troops on a training mission in Iraq and thousands of UK contractors working in Iran and Iraq.
Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, has accused European allies of not being “helpful enough” after the assassination. The threat of a US-Iran war is proving the first big foreign policy test for the new Johnson government.
Mr Raab will meet Mr Pompeo in Washington this week to try to repair the diplomatic damage caused to the western alliance by the drone strike in Baghdad and to seek to persuade the Trump administration to “de-escalate the situation”.
Keir Starmer, who is standing for the Labour leadership, accused Mr Johnson and Mr Raab of falling into step with an “erratic” US president. “We can’t blindly follow the Americans into a potential war in the Middle East,” he said.
Mr Raab said it was essential that the west left “the door open” for Iran to work with the west on a diplomatic solution. “We don’t want to see a major war in the Middle East,” he said.
Mr Johnson returned to Downing Street on Sunday after a new year break on the Caribbean island of Mustique. Labour has accused him of staying on his sunlounger rather than confronting the crisis.
But Mr Raab insisted the UK had taken the necessary steps to ensure security for British troops and civilians in the region. The Foreign Office urged Iraq to allow British troops to remain in the country to help fight Isis, in spite of an indicative vote by the Iraqi parliament calling for the expulsion of US troops.
The UK government has also announced that the Royal Navy will offer to accompany British-flagged commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in light of the increased threat caused by Soleimani’s death. Ben Wallace, UK defence secretary, said he would take “all necessary steps to protect our ships and citizens at this time”.
Britain already has two warships in the Gulf — HMS Montrose and HMS Defender — which are part of an international monitoring operation prompted by Iran’s seizure of a British tanker last summer.
Additional reporting by Helen Warrell
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2020
2020 The Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved. Please do not copy and paste FT articles and redistribute by email or post to the web.
