The Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood MP, has vowed that the UK and its P5+1 partners “will not do a bad deal” with Iran.
In a letter to CFI’s Deputy Chairman, Guto Bebb MP, the Minister asserted: “We will only do a deal that provides assurances about the peaceful nature of Iran’s programme”.
The assurance came in a letter responding to Guto Bebb MP’s Westminster Hall debate last week on the emerging nuclear deal, in which 15 Conservative MPs expressed concerns.
In the letter, Mr Ellwood stated: “We, our partners and Iran will face some difficult discussions between now and June 30. But we will not agree to a deal that fails to address our proliferation concerns”.
He stated: “We completely understand that Israel and our partners have concerns…Our relationships with our partners in the region will remain strong. They are based on our shared values, common security interests, and long-established commercial ties. We continue to reassure our partners that we will not turn a blind eye to Iran’s destabilising actions in the region”.
The Minister also expressed his belief that “a robust deal that ensures that the Iranian programme is exclusively peaceful would have a significant positive impact on the region”.
