Allies should surprise our foes not each other

PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s decision to kill one of the most powerful figures in Iran has plunged thousands of British citizens into immediate danger. It is inevitable that Iran will retaliate in response to the assassination of Qassem Soleimani – a towering military and political figure who played a pivotal role in the Syrian conflict and the dramatic expansion of Iranian influence.

Seen by his many enemies as a terrorist mastermind, Soleimani was a leading player in domestic and international intrigue as the head of the ruthless Quds Force. The Tehran regime is now under intense internal pressure to avenge his killing.

Iran could choose to hit back at the US and its allies through a conventional military strike, a brutal terrorist attack or an extreme act of sabotage. Britain has bitter foes in Iran because of the country’s role in a 1953 coup, and there will be concern that UK civilians, diplomats and Armed Forces in the Middle East and far beyond could be targeted.

It is concerning that it appears the US President did not inform Boris Johnson that he was going to eliminate Iran’s most senior military commander.

As Tom Tugendhat, a senior Conservative MP who served in Iraq and Afghanistan put it, the “purpose of having allies is that we can surprise our enemies and not each other”. If the fabled US-UK special relationship means anything, it should include the right to be consulted and warned about armed action that will have such profound implications.

There is the real risk that the US will be dragged into a ferocious war with grave consequences. As Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab warned in a carefully worded statement: “Further conflict is in none of our interests.”