April 12 – The risk of a war between Iran, the US and Israel is at its highest in decades, Sir Richard Dalton a former British ambassador has said during an interview with BBC Newsnight.
Sir Dalton, who was the UK’s envoy to Tehran from 2003 to 2006 said the situation was “the most dangerous it’s ever been” as the US and Iran prepare for talks to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program on Saturday.
Sir Dalton added that Iran did not have a nuclear weapon or a nuclear military program, but did not comment on whether the country may wish to acquire a weapon in the future.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House to discuss US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, the war in Gaza, and Iran’s nuclear program on Wednesday.
While both leaders agreed that Iran should not be able to acquire a nuclear weapon, Netanyahu’s preference for destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities appeared to contradict Trump’s desire to negotiate with the Islamic Republic.
Trump also appeared to favor Turkey’s central role in Syria over Israel’s following the fall of key Iran ally Bashar Al-Assad. Trump then urged Netanyahu to be “reasonable” in his dealings with the country.
And the United Nations decided to renew and widen the mandate of the independent Fact Finding Mission on Iran, set up to investigate allegations of serious human rights violations in the republic.
The passing of the resolution was hailed as “historic” by the prominent human rights barrister and lawmaker Baroness Helena Kennedy who said the decision demonstrated cross-regional support in holding the state accountable for gross human rights violations faced by the Iranian people.
The Islamic Republic is the world’s most prolific executioner of children, women and men and has been consistently criticized by international human rights watchdogs for its violence and oppression of women, children, and minority groups in the country.
