LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May slammed on Thursday Iran’s “destabilizing” regional influence and called for a stronger response to Tehran’s ballistic missile program.
She was speaking in Amman where she visited on Thursday on the return leg of a visit that also took in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, where she met with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In a speech in the Jordanian capital on Thursday, the British prime minister said that it was not just Daesh and the Assad regime that posed a threat to the stability of neighboring Syria.
“Iran is showing that it is more interested in bolstering its role in the region, and that of its proxy Hezbollah, than finding a lasting peace in Syria,” she said.
“And Iran’s destabilizing activity goes beyond Syria. Their previous attempts to acquire a nuclear weapon posed a threat to the international non-proliferation system on which wider international security depends.”
The prime minister reiterated the UK’s support of a nuclear deal struck in 2015 that allowed for the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran in return for Tehran’s commitment to reduce much of its nuclear program.
“This deal was the culmination of 13 years of diplomacy and a major step toward ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is not diverted for military purposes. It is vitally important for our shared security,” said May.
But the prime minister said that the nuclear deal only addressed one aspect of Iran’s threat to the region – a reference to the country’s development of ballistic missiles.
“This includes in Yemen, where it is unacceptable for the Houthis to fire missiles at Riyadh,” she said. “In my meeting in Riyadh last night with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman I agreed that we would increase our work with Saudi Arabia to address this. I welcome the ongoing UN investigation into the source of the missiles and the international community must be resolute in its response to the findings.”
A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen since March 2015. The war has created what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The coalition closed air, land and sea access to Yemen on Nov. 6, two days after Houthi rebels fired a missile toward Riyadh that was intercepted. They have since been partially re-opened.
May’s visit to Jordan coincided with an emergency debate on Yemen in the UK Parliament yesterday.
Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Britain must help its Middle East allies defend the region against Iranian aggression.
“It would be wrong to point solely at Riyadh, because the truth is that decisions being made in Tehran today are having an effect that are being felt throughout the region.”
Opening the debate, MP Andrew Mitchell described the “dire humanitarian situation” in the country and said a visit to Yemen earlier this year had left him “deeply concerned.”