An Iranian attack on US military bases could draw the UK into the conflict

5 days ago 13

When I got to Chequers connected Sunday greeting the premier curate had intelligibly been up for astir of the nighttime and hitting the phones each greeting with calls to chap leaders successful Europe and the Middle East arsenic helium and others scrambled to effort to incorporate a precise unsafe situation. 

His superior connection connected Sunday was to effort to reassure the nationalist that the UK authorities was moving to stabilise the portion arsenic champion it could and property for a instrumentality to diplomacy.

But what struck maine successful our abbreviated interrogation was not what helium did accidental but what helium didn't - what helium couldn't - accidental astir the US strikes.

It was wide from his swerve connected the question of whether the UK supported the strikes that the premier curate neither wanted to endorse US strikes nor overtly criticise President Trump.

Instead, his was a signifier of words - repeated aboriginal successful a associated connection of the E3 (the UK, Germany and France) to admit the US strikes and reiterate wherever they tin agree: the request to forestall Iran having a atomic weapon.

He besides didn't privation to prosecute successful the precise evident reflection that President Trump simply isn't listening to Sir Keir Starmer oregon different allies, who had been precise publically pressing for de-escalation each week, from the G7 acme successful Canada to this play arsenic European countries convened talks successful Geneva with Iran.

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Starmer reacts to US strikes connected Iran

It was lone 5 days agone that the premier curate told maine helium didn't deliberation a US onslaught was imminent erstwhile I asked him what was going connected pursuing President Trump's abrupt determination to discontinue the G7 aboriginal and convene his information assembly astatine the White House.

When I asked him if helium felt foolish oregon frustrated that Trump had done that and didn't look to beryllium listening, helium told maine it was a "fast moving situation" with a "huge magnitude of discussions successful the days since the G7" and said helium was intensely pressing his accordant presumption of de-escalation.

What other truly could helium say? He has calculated that criticising Trump goes against UK interests and has nary different enactment but to property for a diplomatic solution and enactment with different leaders to execute that aim.

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What is Operation 'Midnight Hammer'?

Before these strikes, Tehran was wide it would not participate negotiations until Israel stopped firing missiles into Iran - thing Israel is inactive saying connected Sunday evening it is not prepared to do.

The US has been briefing that 1 of the reasons it took enactment was due to the fact that it did not deliberation the Iranians were taking the talks convened by the Europeans successful Geneva earnestly enough.

It is hard present to spot however these strikes volition not service but to deepen the struggle successful the Middle East and the temper successful authorities is bleak.

Iran volition astir apt reason that continuing to onslaught lone Israel successful airy of the US attacks - the archetypal airstrikes ever by the US connected Iran - is simply a effect that volition marque the authorities look weak.

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What adjacent aft US-Iran strikes?

Read more:
Iran whitethorn not person mislaid its quality to marque a atomic bomb
Iran whitethorn determine that sidesplitting Americans is the champion mode to retaliate

But escalation could gully the UK into a wider struggle it does not want. If Iran struck US assets, it could trigger nonfiction 5 of NATO (an onslaught connected 1 is an onslaught connected all) and gully the UK into subject action.

If Iran chose to onslaught the US via proxies, past UK bases and assets could beryllium nether threat.

The premier curate was astatine pains to accent connected Sunday that the UK had not been progressive successful these strikes.

Meanwhile, the UK-controlled airbase connected Diego Garcia was not utilized to motorboat the US attacks, with B-2 bombers deployed from Guam instead.

There was nary petition to usage the Diego Garcia base, the president moving unilaterally, underlining his disinterest successful what the UK has to say.

The satellite is waiting nervously to spot however Iran mightiness respond, arsenic the PM moves much subject assets to the portion portion simultaneously hitting the phones.

The premier curate whitethorn beryllium profoundly opposed to this war, but stopping it is not successful his gift.

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