UK warns Iran can 'never' go nuclear as G7 mulls new sanctions after attack on Israel

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps says ‘naive’ not to expect an Israeli response to Iran attack but warns against actions spiralling out of control
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Downing Street warned on Thursday that Iran must “never” be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon as Lord Cameron pushed his fellow G7 foreign ministers for collective action after the Islamic republic’s attack on Israel.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said it would be “naive” not to expect a response from Israel after it was targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.

But he joined the Foreign Secretary in warning against escalation after Lord Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Jerusalem on Wednesday en route to the G7 talks.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said there were no plans to revive stalled Western talks with Iran over its nuclear programme, “not least due to its escalatory behaviour”. 

“Iran’s nuclear programme has never been more advanced than it is today and clearly threatens international peace and security,” he told reporters.

“We've been clear that Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon. We've long called for Iran to de-escalate its deeply concerning nuclear activities.”

The G7 ministers were meeting in Italy amid signs that Israel is determined to ignore its allies’ appeals for restraint.

After meeting Lord Cameron and Ms Baerbock, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that allies were welcome to give “all sorts of suggestions and advice”.

But he stressed: “I want to be clear: we will make our decisions ourselves. The State of Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend itself.”

ITALY-G7-FOREIGN MINISTERS
Foreign Secretary David Cameron attends the G7 foreign ministers meeting
POOL/AFP via Getty Images

At the G7 talks in Capri, Lord Cameron was calling for sanctions to counter Iran’s “malign activity” in light of the weekend attack, which was largely thwarted with the help of RAF Typhoons. 

Britain and the United States want sanctions against Tehran over its support of Russia's war in Ukraine expanded to include drone and missile deliveries to Iran's Middle East proxies.

"They need to be given a clear and unequivocal message by the G7 and I hope that will happen," Lord Cameron said in Israel, while urging the Jewish state to be “smart as well as tough” in any response.

Mr Shapps told LBC: “Of course Israel has the right to defend itself. I think the point the Foreign Secretary was making is what we want to try to do in defending Israel and defending peace in that region is not to let this escalate in a manner which has no ending to it.” 

The defence secretary said that Iran was intent on creating “mayhem” in the region both directly and via its proxies, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

He stressed: “I think we can expect a response. I think it would be naive not to expect a response. I think the point we're making to the Israeli government is in your own interests, but also of course in the interests of world peace, let's not allow this to escalate into something which is in the end, impossible to control.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday with British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron
X / @IsraeliPM

Iran in turn is threatening an “immediate and severe” response if Israel retaliates.

Tensions in the region exploded in October when Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel. Qatar, where the political leadership of Hamas is based, has been playing a lead role in trying to mediate a ceasefire to the resulting war in Gaza including further releases of Israeli hostages seized by the Palestinians.

But the Gulf state’s government said it was reconsidering its mediation role in exasperation at some of the pressure it is under from unidentified parties who it said were pursuing their “narrow political interest”.

Republicans in Washington are among critics of Qatar, accusing it of failing to apply more pressure on Hamas.

Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said that while Qatar remains committed to mediation on a “humanitarian basis”, there has been “abuse and harm” done.

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