John Baron MP questions Foreign Secretary on Iran nuclear deal

MP says cost of deal failing could be severe

At Foreign & Commonwealth Office Oral Questions in the House of Commons this afternoon, John Baron MP asked the Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, about the Iran nuclear deal.

In the Chamber, John asked,

“Recent tensions between Iran and Israel underline the importance of the nuclear deal, and we should remember how close the West and Iran came to conflict over the nuclear issue in 2012. The Government has rightly maintained its full support for the agreement, but how far is the Government prepared to go, in concert with other allies, to keep the deal alive, and if necessary protect companies trading with Iran from American sanctions?”

The Foreign Secretary replied that it will be difficult to avoid US sanctions if companies interact with the US financial system, but that he will raise this matter with European Colleagues in Brussels later today.

John said afterwards,

“The agreement with Iran is a step in the right direction, as it is stopping the militarisation of their nuclear capability. It was not designed to encompass Iran’s complete foreign policy. Small steps are required in a region where there is little trust between nations and tensions are high.”

“We need to try to bring the US back into the fold but, failing that, to go the extra mile to maintain this agreement. The costs of not doing so could be severe indeed.”