Middle East Minister, Rt. Hon. Alistair Burt MP reiterated the UK Government’s “concerns about Iran’s destabilising regional activity & ballistic missile programme”, during Foreign Office Questions this week.
Responding to a question from DUP MP Jim Shannon, Mr Burt said: “We believe there are better ways for Iran to demonstrate its relationship with the rest of the region, and we look forward to that.”
Conservative MP Ross Thomson strongly condemned Iran’s “bellicose” actions in the region, highlighting a recent incident where an advanced Iranian drone was shot down after entering Israeli airspace from Syria. The MP for Aberdeen South said: “Just last month, Iran dispatched an advanced drone into Israel’s airspace from Syria, which led to a serious confrontation between Israel and Iran, and provoked a concerning escalation in tension throughout the region”.
Conservative MP Philip Hollobone also contributed to the questions, saying “Iran is indeed fomenting terror in the region, with funding for the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and propping up the Assad regime in Syria”.
According to recent reports, Iran has test-launched as many as 23 ballistic missiles since the signing of the JCPOA in July 2015.
