Johnson: ‘We won’t lament’ killing of Iranian general
●PM insists Soleimani was ‘a threat to all our interests’ as he appeals for calm
Boris Johnson has called for the deescalation of tensions in the Middle East as the government urged Iraq to allow UK soldiers to continue their fight there against Islamic State after its parliament called for the expulsion of foreign troops.
In his first statement on the controversial US air strike which killed Iran’s top military general, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad early on Friday, the Prime Minister said that calls for retaliation “were in no one’s interest”.
As he spoke, Iran declared it will no longer abide by any of the restrictions imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal, designed to limit its capacity for enrichment, the level of enrichment, the stock of enriched material, or research and development on nuclear weapons.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that theuk must not get “dragged into the slipstream” of the
US president’s “reckless” actions.
Mr Johnson, who only returned from his festive holiday in Mustique yesterday despite mounting demands for a statement since the US air strike, said he would not “lament” the death of Soleimani, who, he said, had “posed a threat to all our interests and was responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour in the region”.
He said that, while Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had been in “constant contact with leaders across the globe”, he had also spent the day speaking to French President Emmanuel Macron, president Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and would be speaking to other leaders in the coming days. Parliament, he said, would be updated tomorrow.
He added: “General Qassem Soleimani posed a threat to all our interests and was responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour in the region.
“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.
“It is clear, however, that all calls for retaliation or reprisals will simply lead to more violence in the region and they are in no one’s interest.
“We are in close contact with all sides to encourage deescalation. I will be speaking to other leaders and our Iraqi friends to support peace and stability.”
Responding to suggestions that the UK would be dragged into a wider regional conflict by the US, Ms Sturgeon said: “This is exactly what must not happen. It’s not necessary to have an iota of sympathy for the Iranian regime to believe that Trump has acted recklessly, without proper thought or strategy.
“The consequences could be grave and the UK mustn’t get dragged along in the slipstream.”
The Iraqi parliament passed a non-binding resolution which demanded the withdrawl of foreign troops.
Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said the US strike was “a political assassination” and told parliament that the government must establish a timetable for the withdrawal of all foreign troops “for the sake of our national sovereignty”.
Around 400 UK troops are stationed in Iraq in the fight against Islamic State, while the US has 5,200, prompting fears of a withdrawal that could cripple the battle against the terrorist group.
A UK government spokesman said: “The coalition is in Iraq to help protect Iraqis and others from the threat from Daesh (Islamic State), at the request of the Iraqi government.
“We urge the Iraqi government to ensure the coalition is able to continue our vital work countering this shared threat.”
Mr Trump’s chief foreign affairs adviser, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, dismissed calls by the Iraqi prime minister for troops to leave.
“He’s under enormous threats from the very Iranian leadership that we are pushing back against,” Mr Pompeo said. “We are confident that the Iraqi people want the United States to continue to be there to fight the counter-terror campaign.”
Mr Raab refused to back the US decision to kill Soleimani, but said America had a “right of self-defence”.
Britain has already sent two warships to the Persian Gulf in a bid to protect citizens. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed that HMS Montrose and HMS Defender have been sent back to resume maritime patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, claiming the government had ordered the vessels “to take all necessary steps to protect our ships and citizens at this time”.
Mr Johnson said Britain had taken “steps to increase the security of our personnel and interests in the region”.
Iran scraps obligation to nuclear deal as crowds flood streets vowing revenge against US
Iran has said it will no longer abide by the limits of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, after the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in a US air strike.
The international accord, from which the US withdrew in 2018, blocked Tehran from having enough material to build an atomic weapon. The announcement came last night after another Iranian official said it would consider taking even harsher steps over the killing on Friday.
Hundreds of thousands of people yesterday flooded the streets of Ahvaz, in southwest Iran, to walk alongside the coffin carrying the remains of Soleimani, the former leader of its expeditionary Quds Force that organises Tehran’s proxy paramilitary forces in the wider Middle East. The leader of
one such group, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, said Soleimani’s killing made US military bases, warships and service members across the region fair targets for attacks. A former Revolutionary Guard leader suggested the Israeli city of Haifa and “centres” like Tel Aviv could be targeted. The Iranian parliament opened yesterday with politicians chanting “Death to America”.
Iran’s state TV cited a statement by President Hassan Rouhani’s administration saying the country will not observe limitations on its enrichment, the amount of stockpiled enriched uranium as well as research and development in its nuclear activities.
It did not elaborate on what levels it would immediately reach in its programme.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations watchdog observing Iran’s programme, did not respond to a request for comment. However, Iran said its cooperation with the IAEA “will continue as before”.
Soleimani’s killing has escalated the crisis between Tehran and Washington after months of trading attacks and threats that have put the wider Middle East on edge.
After thousands in Baghdad on Saturday mourned Soleimani and others killed in the strike, authorities flew the general’s body to Ahvaz. A guard of honour stood by early yesterday as mourners carried the flag-draped coffins of Soleimani and other Guard members off the tarmac.
The coffins were then moved slowly through streets choked with mourners wearing black, beating their chests and carrying posters with Soleimani’s portrait.
Demonstrators also carried red Shia flags, which traditionally both symbolise the spilled blood of someone unjustly killed and call for their deaths to be avenged.
Officials took Soleimani’s body to Ahvaz, a city that was a focus of fighting during the 1980-88 war between Iraq and Iran in which the general slowly grew to prominence.
Authorities then took his body to the city of Mashhad. Soleimani’s remains will go to Tehran and Qom today for more public mourning processions, followed by his hometown of Kerman for burial tomorrow.
This marks the first time Iran honored a single man with a multi-city ceremony.