Foreign Secretary vows to take tough line on Tehran’s meddling in the Middle East.
Britain will not tolerate the escalation of Iran’s “malign” activities in the Middle East or on UK soil, Lord Cameron has warned.
In his first newspaper interview since returning to government, the Foreign Secretary described Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah as “proxies” for Iran who were contributing to an “extremely high” level of “danger and insecurity” around the world.
In a significant toughening of the UK’s approach, the former prime minister told The Telegraph that Iran must be sent “an incredibly clear message that this escalation will not be tolerated”.
He pledged that Britain would work with allies to “develop a really strong set of deterrent measures” against Tehran.
On Friday night, the US pointed to intelligence showing that Iran was “deeply involved” in planning Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The attacks are already causing major disruption to supply chains across Europe.
Lord Cameron also cited “more evidence” of the “unacceptable threat the Iranian regime poses to the lives of UK-based journalists” after it emerged that Iranian spies had offered a people smuggler £150,000 to assassinate two news presenters at a London-based Persian language news channel.
The Telegraph can reveal that the Foreign Secretary summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat in the UK to the Foreign Office on Friday over the revelation “to make clear that these threats will not be tolerated”.
Since the start of last year, there have been more than 15 credible threats or plots by the Iranian regime to kill British or UK-based individuals, according to government officials.
Lord Cameron’s warning to Tehran signals rising alarm in the Government about the increasing aggression being shown by Iran and groups seen as acting on its behalf, both in the Middle East and around the world, including in Britain.
He was speaking following a trip to France, Italy, Jordan and Egypt last week, during which he held discussions about Iran, including in an hour-long meeting with Emmanuel Macron, the French president.
Setting out the approach he intends to take to a host of policy areas for the first time, Lord Cameron also:
Said “things have changed” since, as prime minister, he declared a “golden era” of relations with Beijing. He added: “We face a more aggressive, assertive China.”
Pledged to “play no role” in a government review of the sale of The Telegraph after questions over his past links to the United Arab Emirates.
Acknowledged that past “economic and other support” sent to Gaza had been used by Hamas to construct tunnels or for “worse things”, but insisted the current supplies awaiting delivery were “food, water, medicine, shelter”.
Warned that the prospect of any role for Hamas in a two-state solution must be “beyond the pale”.
Said he expected the UK to spend at least another £2 billion next year on military support for Ukraine, adding: “I think we could potentially do better than that.”
Lord Cameron identified “the threat of Iran” as one of five significant “crises” creating an “extraordinarily difficult time for the world”, along with the Russia-Ukraine war, the conflict in the Middle East, terrorism and climate change.
He said: “Iran is a thoroughly malign influence in the region and in the world – there’s no doubt about that. You’ve got the Houthis, you’ve got Hezbollah, you’ve got the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that have actually been attacking British and American bases, troops.
“And, of course, Hamas. So you’ve got all of these proxies, and I think it’s incredibly important that, first of all, Iran receives an incredibly clear message that this escalation will not be tolerated.
“Second of all, we need to work with our allies to develop a really strong set of deterrent measures against Iran, and it’s important that we do that. The level of danger and insecurity in the world is at an extremely high level compared with previous years and decades, and the Iran threat is a part of that picture.”
Lord Cameron said he was “extremely concerned” about the Houthi attacks “because the freedom of shipping and maritime security are incredibly important not just Britain, but actually the whole world”.
Houthi rebels pledged to disrupt maritime traffic over Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza, attacking at least 15 merchant ships since mid-November.
Earlier this month, the former prime minister announced a new sanctions regime for Iran, which included targeting Tehran’s support for Hamas as part of an initial wave of measures.
The UK will also send warships to join Operation Prosperity Guardian, an international naval coalition being assembled by the US to help safeguard commercial traffic from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement.
But Lord Cameron’s warning suggests Britain is prepared to take further action, including new sanctions, if the escalation of attacks by Iran and its proxies continues. Asked whether there were other measures, in addition to sanctions, that could be deployed now, he said: “Not for public consumption.”
He added: “I think the first thing to do is to get Operation Prosperity Guardian under way, which we’re taking part in, and the second thing to do is a very clear warning to the Houthis and to their Iranian backers that we’re not going to tolerate these continued attacks on shipping.”
Edward Malnick, Sunday Political Editor
David Cameron labelled Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah ‘proxies’ for Iran Credit: Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph
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