On Iran, Britain must not be Trump’s poodle
unlawfully attempting to board the Mv Stena Impero.’
However, the navy ship was an hour away and could not intervene directly. The tanker was seized moments later.
A Foreign Office spokesman said of Mr Duncan Smith’s claim: ‘This is completely untrue. We have extensive ongoing co-operation with the US about maritime security in the Gulf, and have had for years.
‘We always keep the situation in the Gulf under review and discussions are underway with the US and other partners.’
FROM the moment Royal Marines seized an Iranian tanker suspected of breaking oil sanctions off Gibraltar, the mullahs in Tehran were hell-bent on revenge.
It was no secret. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spelled it out, vowing to retaliate for the ‘act of piracy’.
Indeed, two weeks ago, a Royal Navy warship fought off Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as they intimidated a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
So can Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt really have been surprised when the regime illegally impounded the UK-flagged Stena Impero on Friday? Maybe, or maybe he was preoccupied by the Tory leadership race.
It is pointless sugar- coating the bitter truth: This was a humiliating failure by the British Government.
Ministers were indecently slow to respond to the brutal dictatorship’s threat. They must now answer tough questions about why they were caught napping.
While possessing the world’s finest armed forces, Ministry of Defence resources are stretched. But was it wise to deploy just one naval vessel to the tinderbox Gulf? Did the UK reject US help protecting tankers in the risky waterway? If so, in heaven’s name why?
Crucially, were we bounced into detaining the Iranian ship by Donald Trump, egged on by hawkish advisers? Whatever, if you are going to poke a hornet’s nest, it’s sensible to guard against getting stung.
This week, the problem of tackling Tehran’s peace-threatening fanatics will likely fall into Boris Johnson’s lap (as if the timebombs of Brexit and the bitter Tory civil war weren’t challenging enough).
It is a sobering reminder for the great entertainer that ascending to the highest office is a deadly serious business. On his very first day in power – presuming he’s victorious – he will be slap-bang in the middle of an international crisis.
Of course, his record on Iran is hardly encouraging. As foreign secretary, loose tongued comments about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe helped keep her in prison.
The good news is that he gets on very well with Mr Trump, giving Britain diplomatic clout currently lacking in Washington.
He must counsel against any drumbeat to war. The last thing the West needs is another disastrous intervention to mirror Iraq and Libya. If the White House escalates the crisis, Mr Johnson must have the backbone to say no.
Tony Blair played the role of America’s poodle over the Iraq War. And look how that ended.