John Baron MP addresses Conservative Middle East Council on Iran

MP calls for restraint and greater dialogue

Last night in the Houses of Parliament, John Baron MP was an invited member of an expert panel convened by the Conservative Middle East Council to debate Iran and the nuclear issue. The other panellists were Rt Hon Liam Fox MP, Rt Hon Lord Lamont of Lerwick and the journalist Con Coughlin (Daily Telegraph).

John put forward the case for restraint and balance towards Iran, highlighting the fact that the recent reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency contain no hard evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons programme, a view recently endorsed by the US intelligence agencies. John also called for a greater emphasis to be placed on reciprocity when negotiating with Iran, arguing that the West must also expect to make some concessions in return for what it wants from Tehran.

After the event, John said,

“It is very important that, unlike as happened in Iraq, we base our foreign policy on concrete evidence and not hearsay. A military strike on Iran would be a disaster, would only present a short-term solution and might trigger a regional war, which is in no-one’s interest.”

“In the past, there have been missed opportunities on both sides to better relations between Iran and the West. With the current round of talks with Iran, there is an opportunity which I hope both sides will take seriously.”