Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Reform UK - Newark)
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for her policies of the IAEA Director General reportedly stating that the JCPOA nuclear deal signed in 2015 is no longer applicable to the current state of Iran’s nuclear programme.
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 and its nuclear programme is more advanced now than it has ever been.
We strongly urge Iran to halt all activities in violation of the JCPoA without delay and to seize the opportunity in front of them in the current JCPoA Vienna negotiations to restore the nuclear deal. The JCPoA is not perfect but it currently represents the only framework for monitoring and constraining Iran's nuclear programme. The diplomatic door is firmly open to Iran to conclude a deal, and there is a fair and comprehensive offer on the table which would benefit the Iranian people and economy. 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.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Reform UK - Newark)
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 potential (a) global and (b) regional effects of Iran’s activities in (a) Iraq, (b) Lebanon, (c) Syria and (d) Yemen.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The government regularly assesses the impact of Iran's continued destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial and military support to several militant and proscribed groups, including Hizballah in Lebanon and Syria, militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen. Such activity compromises the region's security, its ability to prosper and escalates already high tensions, with consequences for the international community. The UK regularly engages with partners in the region on Iran, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Most recently, on 20 December the Foreign Secretary hosted representatives from the Gulf Co-operation Council, including those three states, at Chevening. Iran's nuclear programme and its destabilising regional activity were discussed.
We regularly discuss our concerns at Iran's nuclear escalation with our partners. Iran's nuclear programme is more advanced than it has ever been and is undermining regional and international security. We are clear that Iran should halt all activities in violation of the JCPoA without delay and to seize the opportunity in front of them in current JCPoA Vienna negotiations to restore the nuclear deal. If a deal is not swiftly concluded, 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: Robert Jenrick (Reform UK - Newark)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) Bahrain, (b) Saudi Arabia and (c) United Arab Emirates on the strategic challenges posed by Iran’s (a) nuclear programme and (b) support for terror groups.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
The government regularly assesses the impact of Iran's continued destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial and military support to several militant and proscribed groups, including Hizballah in Lebanon and Syria, militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen. Such activity compromises the region's security, its ability to prosper and escalates already high tensions, with consequences for the international community. The UK regularly engages with partners in the region on Iran, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Most recently, on 20 December the Foreign Secretary hosted representatives from the Gulf Co-operation Council, including those three states, at Chevening. Iran's nuclear programme and its destabilising regional activity were discussed.
We regularly discuss our concerns at Iran's nuclear escalation with our partners. Iran's nuclear programme is more advanced than it has ever been and is undermining regional and international security. We are clear that Iran should halt all activities in violation of the JCPoA without delay and to seize the opportunity in front of them in current JCPoA Vienna negotiations to restore the nuclear deal. If a deal is not swiftly concluded, 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.