Britain’s newly appointed foreign secretary David Lammy accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of “destabilizing the Middle East” in a Sep. 22 speech at the ruling Labour Party’s conference in Liverpool, England.
“Iran is not only destabilizing the Middle East, but providing support to Putin’s barbaric war through exporting ballistic missiles,” said Lammy, who is a senior member of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. “That is why we put new restrictions on Iran Air that will stop it entering the UK, and new sanctions against the IRGC,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran and Israel have been engaged in an indirect conflict since Oct. 7, when the Iran-backed Hamas militant group attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 people. Israel has responded by launching a military offensive against Iran and its proxy groups in the region, which include the Palestine-based Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthis. More than 41,000 Palestinians including at least 16,000 children have been killed since the fighting began.
The UK and the US have placed fresh rounds of sanctions on Iran in recent weeks, which include sanctions against Iran’s flagship airline Iran Air. The US Treasury said the airline, which operates passenger and cargo flights, had a history of transporting goods on behalf of the IRGC. Additional sanctions against several IRGC members believed to have enabled Russia’s attacks against Ukraine have also been announced.
Lammy’s comments follow claims by the UK, France, Germany and the US that the Islamic Republic has supplied drones and missiles to Russia for its war against Ukraine. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has said Russia has launched 8,060 Iran-developed drones during the war. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Lammy told BBC News on Sept. 11 that Iran’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war “clearly changes the debate,” as it allows Moscow’s troops “to have further penetration into Ukraine.”
The US and the UK have also expressed concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, which they say contributes to the destabilization of the Middle East and is a menace to peace and security.
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In recent years, and as a member of parliament, Lammy has made undiplomatic remarks on former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is running for reelection in November. In 2018, Lammy called Trump — who was then the US President — a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer,” (referring to the Ku Klux Klan), and vowed to stop him from entering Britain.
Those words are likely to come as an embarrassment if Trump is reelected, as Trump will “remember” Lammy’s remarks, said Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021.
Lammy has since met with several Trump allies and US Republicans.
The conflict in the Middle East is now spilling over into Lebanon, with Israel targeting Hezbollah sites in what Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called a “new phase of war.” More than 180 people have been killed and more than 700 injured, according to Lebanon’s ministry of health. Israel has said more than 60,000 people have been displaced in northern Israel due to Hezbollah rocket fire. TheUnited Nations has said 90,000 people had been displaced in southern Lebanon due to the widening conflict.
Discussing Labour’s policy towards the conflict in the Middle East during the conference, Lammy said the government supported a two-state solution, which would create a Jewish state and an Arab state in Palestine.
“I believe in the right of Israel to be safe and secure. I also believe in the justness of the Palestinian cause,” Lammy said. “I know, like me, you are desperate to see the conflict in the Middle East come to an end.”
Lammy also discussed the Israeli hostages still held captive in Gaza.
“Dozens of Israelis remain cruelly held captive and Israel faces threats from all angles with Iran and its proxies seeking to wipe Israel off the map,” Lammy said.
More than 250 people are thought to have been kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, with a remaining 97 individuals still held in captivity, according to Israeli officials. It is not known how many of those held are still alive.
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel resulted in six rounds of hostage releases, with priority given to children and women. The first group of hostages were released in November, and included 13 women and children, with the youngest being two years old. More than a dozen children were released in the rounds that followed.
Israel has conducted several rescue missions.. Eight hostages were rescued alive and the bodies of 36 hostages were recovered.
