Iran's Growing Military Threat Is A 'Blind Spot' For British Politicians, Tory MP Claims
19 November 2017The Telegraph
British MPs have a "blind spot" when analysing Iran's growing military powers
and destabilizing influence through it support for terrorism in the Middle
East, a senior Conservative politician has warned.
Writing for The Telegraph, Robert Jenrick, the parliamentary private secretary
to Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, claims politicians may have to take a
tougher approach with the Islamic regime.
The Newark MP, who also sits on the board of the Conservative Party, accused
the Iranian government of having armed and supported insurgents in Iraq and
Afghanistan who have killed British troops with roadside IEDs (Improvised
Explosive Devices). However, he accuses Parliament of "scarcely" discussing
the issue due to its blind spot about the country.
His comments follow last month's revelation that an unpublished report by
British Intelligence found that Iran most likely was behind a cyber-attack on
dozens of MPs email accounts this summer. At first there was growing suspicion
that Russia or North Korea was responsible for the attack, however Iran is now
thought the most likely culprit.
Meanwhile, American President Donald Trump wants to abandon the 2015 Iran
nuclear deal, the cornerstone of Barack Obama's presidency. It lifted
crippling economic sanctions on Iran in return for imposing limitations on
Iran's nuclear energy programme. However, critics feared that the country
could use nuclear energy to develop nuclear weapons.
He says that even after the cyber attack was linked to Iran, "only a handful
of parliamentarians raised concerns".
Insisting that Westminster was now "waking up" to the threat Iran represents,
Mr Jenrick said: "We've had a blind spot for the failings of Iran for too
long. If, as most of our leaders argue, we want to keep the nuclear deal and
we want to protect our interests and those of our allies, we may need to
change that fast."
He continued: "There had been little discussion of the concerns expressed by
our allies in the Gulf or in Israel at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps'
growing influence in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere in the region."
He says that the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British Iranian woman
jailed in Iran, has at last captured the attention of MPs and forced them to
examine how and when the country is held to account.
Asking why this "blind spot" exists, he writes: "Iran seems to tick all of the
boxes: an oppressive criminal code; religious zeal professing moral authority;
nuclear ambitions; racial division; the list goes on."
While praising the rise of "young millennials" who seem to represent a
"generational shift" in the country, Jenricks calls on politicians to "call
out" Iran's support for terrorism, be more open about "Iran's broader role ….
and how they hurt us and our allies".
©
EsinIslam.Com
Add Comments