British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that Britain shares the concerns of the United States regarding Iran’s activities in the Middle East and is ready to take further action against Tehran, Al Arabiya reports.
During a visit to Berlin, May said that she and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had affirmed their commitment to the Iranian nuclear deal and agreed on the need to implement it fully.
“We agreed that while we continue to work on maintaining the agreement, we also share the United States’ concerns about Iran’s destabilizing actions in the Middle East, and we are ready to take further appropriate measures to address those problems,” May told reporters.
Previously in January, May has reiterated London’s commitment to Iran’s nuclear deal at the Monday meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the two agreed to counter Tehran’s destabilizing activities in the region, May’s spokesperson said.
“They agreed on the importance of the international community coming together to counter Iran’s destabilising regional activity, and the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to the Iran nuclear deal,” the prime minister’s spokesperson said, as quoted by the Independent newspaper.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, agreed in 2015, ensures the gradual lifting of sanctions off Iran in exchange for Tehran ensuring that its nuclear program is peaceful. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the deal and Iran’s compliance with it.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson confirmed on Monday as well that London was concerned about Iran’s role after anti-aircraft missiles brought down on Saturday an Israeli fighter plane as it returned from bombing Iranian-backed sites in Syria.
“We are concerned at the Iranian actions, which detract from efforts to get a genuine peace process under way. We encourage Russia to use its influence to press the regime and its backers to avoid provocative actions and to support de-escalation in pursuit of a broader political settlement,” Johnson said in a statement on Monday.
In his statement, Johnson also called on Moscow to rein in its ally Tehran.
“We encourage Russia to use its influence to press the regime and its backers to avoid provocative actions and to support de-escalation in pursuit of a broader political settlement,” he said.
In the most serious confrontation yet between Israel and Iranian-backed forces in Syria, anti-aircraft fire on Saturday downed an Israeli warplane returning from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions. In the most serious confrontation yet between Israel and Iranian-backed forces in Syria, anti-aircraft fire on Saturday downed an Israeli warplane returning from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions.