fbpx

News

Hammond: We will judge Iran by its actions on Israel

[ssba]

Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond yesterday continued his visit to Tehran and said that Iran should be judged by its actions on Israel, rather than its rhetoric.

On Sunday, Hammond reopened the UK Embassy in Tehran, which was closed four years ago, after a mob of regime loyalist protestors overran and ransacked the compound. The UK and Iran have been gradually restoring diplomatic relations since 2013 against the backdrop of negotiations to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Yesterday, prior to meeting Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, Hammond told John Humphrys on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme that “Iran is too large a player, too important a player in this region, to simply leave in isolation.” However, he acknowledged that “we should tread carefully. There’s a deep legacy of distrust on both sides.”

Questioned by Humphrys specifically about routine Iranian calls for the destruction of Israel, Hammond said “that was the position of the previous president [Ahmadinejad]” but that the current regime “has a more nuanced approach” towards Israel. He added, “We should judge people by their actions as much as by their words.”

Humphrys pressed Hammond on the continued calls by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to eliminate Israel, even since the nuclear deal was agreed last month. Hammond replied, “We’ve got to distinguish between revolutionary sloganising and what Iran actually does in the conduct of its foreign policy,” suggesting that Khamenei’s rhetoric was for “internal political consumption.” Earlier this month, Khamenei took to social media to pledge “all possible means to support anyone who fights Israel.” He has also reportedly recently authored a 416-page book called “Palestine,” detailing plans to destroy Israel.

However, Hammond expressed concern yesterday over Iran’s “sponsorship of organisations that have a destabilizing effect” on the region. Iran provides significant financial and material support to the likes of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Islamic Jihad in Gaza and Houthi rebels in Yemen.

A Telegraph editorial yesterday called the decision to reopen the embassy “somewhat precipitate” given Iran’s “continuing support for some of the region’s worst trouble-makers.” Meanwhile, an editorial in The Times said, “Iran remains a sponsor of terrorism throughout the Middle East and an egregious abuser of human rights. Britain must be ready to criticise the government openly.”