Frankly Speaking: Does the UK still matter to the Middle East?

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Updated 03 July 2023
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Frankly Speaking: Does the UK still matter to the Middle East?

  • Despite Brexit and mistakes, former Minister for Middle East Alistair Burt says UK still has diplomatic clout, military exports and permanent seat at UN Security Council
  • Middle East is changing and West needs to understand and watch, not necessarily get involved in region’s affairs, he tells Arab News current-affairs talk show

DUBAI: Former UK MP and two-time minister of state, the Right Honorable Alistair Burt, has admitted that “policy errors have been made” by the UK government that have affected its relationship with the Arab world, but that the region “remains of great interest and importance” to the country.

Appearing on the Arab News current-affairs talk show “Frankly Speaking,” Burt, who has served as UK minister for the Middle East, said that “the essential thing is that the long historical ties and the relationship between us means there will always be an interest and an involvement.”

Burt, who has visited the region twice this year and still retains close ties with officials and leaders there, explained how his revelation comes as part of a broader recognition of the evolving dynamics in the Middle East and the need to reassess the UK’s role and engagement there.

He stressed the importance of acknowledging past mistakes as an important step toward building better diplomatic relationships in the future, saying that if the government “has made mistakes in the past, we’re very anxious to make sure they’re put right in the future.”

Burt has twice held ministerial positions in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office: as parliamentary under-secretary of state from 2010 to 2013 and as minister of state for the Middle East and North Africa from 2017 to 2019.

He argues that the UK still has a “lot of clout in the region,” thanks to its strong trade links, common security interests and “exceptionally good ambassadors throughout the area.”

Taking note of the landmark peace deal that was brokered by China between Saudi and Iran in March, Burt emphasized that this deal could be a turning point in regional politics. Still, he cautioned that ensuring both parties would follow the agreement would be “complex,” adding that “Iran has not always been in a position to deliver on everything it might have signed up.”

That being said, Burt expressed his views on the West taking a back seat in the region’s affairs and that it should be prepared to “watch rather than be involved.” When asked if the deal comes as a “slap in the face” of the West, Burt disagreed with that as a description “because that assumes that everything revolves around us, and it doesn’t.”




Burt, who has served as UK minister for the Middle East, appearing on the Arab News current-affairs talk show Frankly Speaking. (AN Photo)

However, he did note that a more stable Saudi-Iran dynamic could lead to de-escalation in other conflicts, such as the war in Yemen. With the growing willingness to participate in diplomatic dialogue, both countries have the opportunity to de-escalate tensions and redirect their focus toward resolving the decade-long war in Yemen.

Burt has visited Yemen several times and called the crisis there “deeply, deeply distressing” and urged the potential players to create a “peace with compromise.”

He warned that the “total domination of one group over another, whether it’s Houthis or anyone else, is not a basis for long-term stability; it only produces the opportunity for more conflict going forward in the future.”

He cautioned that “the structure of Yemen will have to be looked at. The position of the south and the potential opportunities there for a different constitutional structure.”

The UK has recently appointed a new ambassador to Yemen, lawyer and diplomat Abda Sharif, who is well known and admired by Burt. He called her a “very capable and an outstanding choice of ambassador” for Yemen.

He said that she arrives at a “good time,” but admitted that while the UK’s diplomatic experience will be “looked for” in Yemen, ultimately, the UK will “not be the arbiters” in the conflict.

If the UK government has made mistakes in the past, we’re very anxious to make sure they’re put right in the future.

Alastair Burt

When it came to China’s increased role in the Middle East following its brokering of the Saudi-Iran deal, Burt said that “the region is changing, and I think the region’s influences are changing,” and “China is looking for new opportunities.”

He said he is not surprised by the findings of a recent study conducted by Arab News and YouGov, which revealed that 80 percent of Palestinians would accept a Chinese offer to mediate in its conflict with Israel, underscoring the disillusionment and distrust that exists toward traditional partners.

He added that the study’s findings indicated how “distrusted others have become.” However, he also cautioned against blindly accepting any new entrant’s motives, urging stakeholders to be wary and judge them on “what they do, not just what they say.”

His comments reflect the growing skepticism toward established mediators in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and highlight the need for fresh approaches to address the longstanding crisis.

Burt, who has long been a vocal advocate of a two-state solution, admitted that “so many in the Palestinian community” have “lost faith in the opportunity of a two-state solution” and “the degree of faith in their leadership.”

He also noted that for a long time, any criticism of Israel’s policies was met with accusations of antisemitism, which has stifled legitimate discussions on the conflict.




Burt also commented on the burning of a copy of the Qur’an outside a mosque in Sweden during the recent Eid Al-Adha holiday during his appearance on Frankly Speaking. (AN Photo)

The former UK politician said his country is “extremely concerned about the actions of the activities of the state of Israel,” and that people now realize they can “be a friend of Israel but not a friend of the government,” and that Netanyahu’s actions toward occupation and settlements should face “legitimate criticisms.”

Burt also commented on the burning of a copy of the Qur’an outside a mosque in Sweden during the recent Eid Al-Adha holiday, which has sparked outrage across the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Swedish police had initially given Salwan Momika, the perpetrator of the crime, a permit for the protest under the country’s free speech laws. Police in Stockholm are now investigating the incident for incitement of hatred. Momika has vowed to repeat his actions within days.

Burt slammed the act, saying: “It’s nothing to do with freedom of expression or freedom of speech. The burning of sacred books as a provocation is always wrong and should always be prevented. Any sensible state would do so.”

He added that the threat posed by the rise in expression of hate is “very, very dangerous and very scary” and said that no one could afford to be complacent, cautioning that it could “spark anywhere.”

Looking into other regional crises, such as Sudan, the UK has been criticized for its lack of decisive action after evacuating diplomats over citizens when fighting broke out in the North African country on April 15.

Burt defended the actions of the government, which resulted in cases such as the death of an elderly disabled British woman who starved after snipers shot her husband, despite repeated calls to the British Embassy that her family says was just meters from their home.

He said that the “sudden outbreak of violence caught a lot of people by surprise,” but that the government “worked very hard to get people out in very difficult circumstances.”

He added that he knew “Foreign Office staff who went out into danger zones in order to seek to ensure that citizens could get away.”

But he admitted that “when conflict arises, you can’t guarantee everyone’s safety … what it demonstrates is that there are almost impossible decisions to make in these circumstances … . I have been involved in hostage situations where we’ve made such a decision, and something has gone wrong, and lives have been lost. So, you can’t always get it right.”

 


Russia warns US against ‘military intervention’ in Iran-Israel war

Updated 11 sec ago
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Russia warns US against ‘military intervention’ in Iran-Israel war

Zakharova said: “We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation“
Any US military action “would be an extremely dangerous step”

MOSCOW: Russia’s foreign ministry on Thursday warned the United States not to take military action against Iran, amid speculation over whether Washington will enter the war alongside Israel.

Moscow issued its warning after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a phone call condemned Israeli attacks on Iran and urged a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Israel launched an unprecedented wave of strikes at Iran last week, to which Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks.

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he was considering whether to join Israel’s strikes. “I may do it, I may not do it,” he said.

Russian foreign ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters: “We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation.”

Any US military action “would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,” she added.

Earlier on Thursday, following the leaders’ call, the Kremlin said Putin and Xi “strongly condemn Israel’s actions.”

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities “should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means.”

Iran’s options against foreign aggression include closing Strait of Hormuz, lawmaker says

Updated 8 min 6 sec ago
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Iran’s options against foreign aggression include closing Strait of Hormuz, lawmaker says

  • “Iran has numerous options to respond to its enemies and uses such options based on what the situation is,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Behnam Saeedi
  • “Closing the Strait of Hormuz is one of the potential options for Iran“

DUBAI: Iran could shut the Strait of Hormuz as a way of hitting back against its enemies, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday, though a second member of parliament said this would only happen if Tehran’s vital interests were endangered.

Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to traffic in retaliation for Western pressure, and shipping sources said on Wednesday that commercial ships were avoiding Iran’s waters around the strait.

“Iran has numerous options to respond to its enemies and uses such options based on what the situation is,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Behnam Saeedi, a member of the parliament’s National Security Committee presidium as saying.

“Closing the Strait of Hormuz is one of the potential options for Iran,” he said.

Mehr later quoted another lawmaker, Ali Yazdikhah, as saying Iran would continue to allow free shipping in the Strait and in the Gulf so long as its vital national interests were not at risk.

“If the United States officially and operationally enters the war in support of the Zionists (Israel), it is the legitimate right of Iran in view of pressuring the US and Western countries to disrupt their oil trade’s ease of transit,” Yazdikhah said.

President Donald Trump is keeping the world guessing about whether the United States will join Israel’s bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites.

Tehran has so far refrained from closing the Strait because all regional states and many other countries benefit from it, Yazdikhah added.

“It is better than no country supports Israel to confront Iran. Iran’s enemies know well that we have tens of ways to make the Strait of Hormuz unsafe and this option is feasible for us,” the parliamentarian said.

The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran and is the primary export route for Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Kuwait.

About 20 percent of the world’s daily oil consumption — around 18 million barrels — passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is only about 33 km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point.


UN: Two million Syrians returned home since Assad’s fall

Updated 19 June 2025
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UN: Two million Syrians returned home since Assad’s fall

  • The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011, displaced half of the population internally or abroad
  • But Assad’s December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return

BEIRUT: Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country’s war have returned since the ouster of Bashar Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad’s brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad’s December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

“Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December,” Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates.

It is “a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions,” he said.

“This proves that we need political solutions – not another wave of instability and displacement.”

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.


‘Very bad decision’ if Hezbollah joins Iran-Israel war, says US official

Updated 19 June 2025
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‘Very bad decision’ if Hezbollah joins Iran-Israel war, says US official

  • US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack meets Lebanese officials in Beirut as Iran and Israel trade more strikes
  • Hezbollah has condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran and expressed full solidarity with its leadership

BEIRUT: A top US official visiting the Lebanese capital on Thursday discouraged Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah from intervening in the war between Iran and Israel, saying it would be a “very bad decision.”

US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, who also serves as ambassador to Turkiye, met Lebanese officials in Beirut as Iran and Israel traded more strikes in their days-long war and as the US continues to press Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.

After meeting Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, Barrack was asked what may happen if Hezbollah joined in the regional conflict.

“I can say on behalf of President (Donald) Trump, which he has been very clear in expressing as has Special Envoy (Steve) Witkoff: that would be a very, very, very bad decision,” Barrack told reporters.

Hezbollah has condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran and expressed full solidarity with its leadership. On Thursday, it said threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have “dire consequences.”

But the group has stopped short of making explicit threats to intervene. After Israel began strikes on Iran last week, a Hezbollah official told Reuters the group would not launch its own attack on Israel in response.

Hezbollah was left badly weakened from last year’s war with Israel, in which the group’s leadership was gutted, thousands of fighters were killed and strongholds in southern Lebanon and near Beirut were severely damaged.

A US-brokered ceasefire deal which ended that war stipulates that the Lebanese government must ensure there are no arms outside state control.

Barrack also met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday and discussed the state’s monopoly on all arms.

Barrack is a private equity executive who has long advised Trump and chaired his inaugural presidential committee in 2016. He was appointed to his role in Turkiye and, in late May, also assumed the position of special envoy to Syria.


Israel strikes Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, other nuclear sites

Updated 19 June 2025
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Israel strikes Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, other nuclear sites

  • Israeli forces also struck nuclear sites in Bushehr, Isfahan and Natanz, and continue to target additional facilities

DUBAI: Israel has attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian state television said Thursday.

The report said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” and that the facility had already been evacuated before the attack.

Israel had warned earlier it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. The warning came in a social media post on X. It included a satellite image of the plant in a red circle like other warnings that preceded strikes.

The Israeli military said Thursday’s round of airstrikes targeted Tehran and other areas of Iran, without elaborating. It later said Iran fired a new salvo of missiles at Israel and told the public to take shelter.

A military spokesperson later said Israeli forces struck nuclear sites in Bushehr, Isfahan and Natanz, and continue to target additional facilities. Bushehr is Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant, which sits on the Gulf coast.

An Israeli military official said on Thursday that “it was a mistake” for a military spokesperson to have said earlier in the day that Israel had struck the Bushehr nuclear site in Iran.

The official would only confirm that Israel had hit the Natanz, Isfahan and Arak nuclear sites in Iran.

Pressed further on Bushehr, the official said he could neither confirm or deny that Israel had struck the location, where Iran has a reactor.

Hitting Bushehr, which is close to Gulf Arab neighbors and staffed in part by Russian experts, would have been a major escalation.

Israel’s seventh day of airstrikes on Iran came a day after Iran’s supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.” Israel also lifted some restrictions on daily life, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing.

Already, Israel’s campaign has targeted Iran’s enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. Its strikes have also killed top generals and nuclear scientists.

A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 1,300 wounded. In retaliation, Iran has fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds. Some have hit apartment buildings in central Israel, causing heavy damage.

The Arak heavy water reactor is 250 kilometers southwest of Tehran.

Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. That would provide Iran another path to the bomb beyond enriched uranium, should it choose to pursue the weapon.

Iran had agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns.

In 2019, Iran started up the heavy water reactor’s secondary circuit, which at the time did not violate Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Britain at the time was helping Iran redesign the Arak reactor to limit the amount of plutonium it produces, stepping in for the US, which had withdrawn from the project after President Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw America from the nuclear deal.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, has been urging Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear sites. IAEA inspectors reportedly last visited Arak on May 14.

Due to restrictions Iran imposed on inspectors, the IAEA has said it lost “continuity of knowledge” about Iran’s heavy water production — meaning it could not absolutely verify Tehran’s production and stockpile.

As part of negotiations around the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to sell off its heavy water to the West to remain in compliance with the accord’s terms. Even the US purchased some 32 tons of heavy water for over $8 million in one deal. That was one issue that drew criticism from opponents to the deal.