The West can look to Ukraine to see why appeasement of Iran won’t work

SIR – Those calling for Israel to respond with restraint to the latest attack on its territory should reflect on the fact that many non-democratic regimes, like playground bullies, interpret restraint as both weakness and an opportunity for further aggression.

The democratic West forced Ukraine to restrain its response in 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea, and continues to restrain it today. Do we really think fundamentalist Iran is more enlightened than Russia? Deborah Tompkinson

Maidenhead, Berkshire

SIR – Charles Moore (Comment, April 16) writes that the West’s advice to Israel is not to retaliate because that leads to escalation, and so “Tehran will notice, and be emboldened”, which in turn means that Iran will naturally escalate.

Israel cannot stand back and allow this to happen. Murray Surtees

Southern River, Western Australia

SIR – It is vital that Iran is prevented from getting nuclear weapons because its leaders are irrational enough to use them.

Israel now has the perfect excuse to go after Iran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation. It must be extremely tempting. Bob Shacklock

Onchan, Isle of Man

SIR – In defiance of what is common sense to most of us, Foreign Office mandarins will have placed before the Government a list of superficially plausible reasons, no doubt beautifully articulated, why the nefarious and vicious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) should not be proscribed by the UK as a terrorist organisation.

Common sense has been an infrequent visitor to King Charles Street in recent years. It seems the same might now be said of Downing Street. Terry Smith

London NW11

SIR – I listened carefully to the Iran and Israel statement and questions in the House of Commons on Monday. Twice the Prime Minister claimed that the IRGC has been sanctioned “in its entirety”.

Yet David Jones, the Conservative MP for Clwyd West, asserted that members of the IRGC can be seen “dining out in restaurants in west London quite regularly”.

Surely they cannot both be correct. Keith Phair

Felixstowe, Suffolk

SIR – Recent events have again demonstrated the vital importance of air power.

Israel and Western security were protected by the judicious use of an integrated air-defence system to repel Iranian attacks.

We are living through a very dangerous time. We need to invest and prepare now. Gp Capt Bob Evans (retd)

Cardiff