Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on authorising direct flights to North Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK Government has no plans to authorise direct flights between the UK and the north of Cyprus. In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' as an independent state. The United Kingdom recognises the Republic of Cyprus as the sovereign authority for the island of Cyprus. As a result, the UK Government cannot negotiate an Air Services Agreement with the administration in the north of Cyprus.
Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Georgian counterpart on the reported attempted assassination of an Israeli-Georgian businessman by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK is committed to working with the international community to ensure Iran abides by international laws and norms and is held to account for its destabilising activity. We have been clear about our concerns over the malign activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is sanctioned in its entirety. We regularly discuss our approach to Iran with regional and international partners.
Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of instituting snapback sanctions on Iran in accordance with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal.
Answered by David Rutley
We have always been clear: Iran's nuclear escalation is unacceptable. It is threatening international peace and security and undermining the global non-proliferation system.
A viable deal was put on the table in March which would have returned Iran to full compliance with its JCPoA commitments and returned the US to the deal.
Iran refused to seize a critical diplomatic opportunity to conclude the deal with continued demands beyond the scope of the JCPoA.
We are considering next steps with our international partners.
Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the UK Government is taking with its international partners to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Prime Minister, alongside his French, German and US counterparts, discussed Iran's nuclear programme on 30 October in Rome where they expressed their determination to ensure that Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.
The UK is currently engaged, alongside the US and other Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) participants, in negotiations in Vienna aimed at restoring the nuclear deal. If a deal is not swiftly concluded, and Iran continues its nuclear escalation, Iran will be responsible for missing the opportunity to restore the JCPoA and for bringing about the collapse of the deal. In this scenario, we would carefully consider all the options in partnership with our allies.
Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of reports that Iran has begun enriching uranium to 20 per cent fissile purity at its nuclear facility in Fordow in breach of the JCPOA nuclear deal.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Iran has been in non-compliance with its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments since 2019. This includes producing Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) at 60%, which is unprecedented for a state without a nuclear weapons programme. Iran's increasing 60% stockpile is bringing Iran significantly closer to having fissile material which could be used for nuclear weapons.
We call upon Iran to halt all activities in violation of the JCPoA without delay and take the opportunity in front of them in the JCPoA Vienna negotiations to restore the nuclear deal. If a deal is not swiftly concluded, and Iran continues its nuclear escalation, Iran will be responsible for missing the opportunity to restore the JCPoA and for bringing about the collapse of the deal. Iran's nuclear escalation means we have weeks, not months, to restore the deal before the JCPoA's core non-proliferation benefits are lost and the deal collapses. In the event of the JCPoA collapsing, we would carefully consider all options in partnership with our allies.
Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of Iran’s (a) financial, (b) material and (c) military support for international terror groups.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
We have long been clear about our concerns over Iran's continued destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial and military support to a number of militant and proscribed groups, including Hizballah in Lebanon and Syria, militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen. We regularly raise Iran's destabilising role in the region at UN Security Council. We continue to support the security of our allies, including through our close defence partnerships across the Middle East and by working to strengthen institutions and build capacity in more vulnerable countries, including in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.
Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of alleged comments by Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps having significant influence over Iran’s diplomatic activities.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK Government has long been clear about its concerns over the continued destabilising activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This includes IRGC political, financial and military support to a number of militant and proscribed groups including Hizballah in Lebanon and Syria, militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen. The IRGC is sanctioned in its entirety by the UK.
We regularly raise Iran's destabilising role in the region at UN Security Council. We continue to support the security of our allies, including through our close defence partnerships across the Middle East and by working to strengthen institutions and build capacity in more vulnerable countries, including in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.
Asked by: Brendan Clarke-Smith (Conservative - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its effect on the UK’s goal of delivering peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The UK Government has long been clear about its concerns over the continued destabilising activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This includes IRGC political, financial and military support to a number of militant and proscribed groups including Hizballah in Lebanon and Syria, militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen. The IRGC is sanctioned in its entirety by the UK.
We regularly raise Iran's destabilising role in the region at UN Security Council. We continue to support the security of our allies, including through our close defence partnerships across the Middle East and by working to strengthen institutions and build capacity in more vulnerable countries, including in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.