PM accuses Iran of being behind attacks on Saudi oil facilities

PM accuses Iran of being behind attacks on Saudi oil facilities

Boris Johnson has said he wants a new nuclear deal with Iran, after he accused the Islamic republic of being behind the attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.

The Prime Minister’s remarks on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) quickly earned him praise from US President Donald Trump, who described him as “a winner”.

Mr Johnson was speaking amid a terse exchange with Iran and shortly before he was due to meet President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations in New York.

He said that the UK could attribute blame with a “very high degree of probability” to Iran, and declined to rule out military assistance.

Iran countered by rejecting the PM’s remarks and criticised “fruitless efforts against the Islamic republic of Iran”.

Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson has entered a war of words with Iran (Frank Augstein/PA)

In an interview at the residence of the UK consulate general in New York, Mr Johnson called for a new nuclear deal on Iran after the US abandoned it.

“What the UK is doing is trying to bring people together, trying to de-escalate tensions, come up with a solution for the Gulf region, and my own view very strongly is, whatever your objections with the old nuclear deal with Iran, it’s time now to move forward and do a new deal,” the PM said.

But Downing Street said that Mr Johnson supports the Iran nuclear deal, after calling for a replacement.

“The PM supports the JCPoA,” a Government spokesman said.

“The Iranians aren’t currently in compliance and we need to bring them back into compliance. If there’s a way to do that, we’re open to discussing possible solutions.”

Mr Trump praised the PM as “a friend of mine”, adding: “He’s very smart, very tough.”

“I respect Boris a lot and I’m not at all surprised that he was the first one to come out and say that,” the president continued.

Mr Johnson is due to meet Mr Trump and Mr Rouhani in separate bilateral meetings on Tuesday.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn warned against provoking a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

“The only way forward has to be of peace and bringing people together and respecting the needs of those people,” he said.

The US and Saudi Arabia had already accused Iran of being behind the September 14 raids on the world’s largest oil processor and an oil field, causing a spike in prices.

But Mr Johnson gave the first attribution of blame from the UK before landing in the US in the early hours of Monday UK-time, as he flew to the States. Tehran has issued denials.

“We think it very likely indeed that Iran was indeed responsible for using both UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), both drones and cruise missiles,” he said.

The PM said he would “follow very closely” American proposals to do more to defend Saudi Arabia, with Tehran’s ire being further provoked by the US-led coalition patrolling the region’s waterways.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband and child
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held in Iran (Family Handout/PA)

Sanctions also remained on the table.

The PM said he would bring up the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other dual nationals being held in Tehran when he meets Mr Rouhani.

Mr Johnson has come under intense criticism over his handling of the British-Iranian mother’s case as foreign secretary.

She is midway through a five-year jail sentence for spying charges, which she has always denied.

“In the course of my conversation with president Rouhani, I will not only be discussing Iran’s actions in the region, but also the need to release not just Nazanin but others who in our view are being illegally and unfairly held in Tehran,” he said.

The UK was dismissing claims by Yemen’s Houthi movement that it was behind the Aramco attack.

A Whitehall source saying: “Imagery from the site of the attack shows the remnants of Iranian-made land attack cruise missiles and the scale, sophistication and range of the attack is inconsistent with the Houthis’ capability.”

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