Boris Johnson last night broke his silence on Iran, saying Britain 'will not lament' the death of Qassem Soleimani.
The Prime Minister said the assassinated general had played a role in the deaths of thousands of innocent people and was a 'threat to all our interests'.
But he also appealed to both Donald Trump and Iran for calm, urging both sides to encourage de-escalation.
His first comments came as:
- Britain's fight against Islamic State was in chaos after it was forced to abandon its training mission in Iraq;
- Iraq's parliament voted to boot out all US-led forces – 400 British troops are in the country training local units;
- Iran declared it would tear up the 2015 nuclear non-proliferation pact;
- Tehran also threatened to force the US out of the Middle East;
- Its Hezbollah allies said that US soldiers would return home in coffins;
- Mr Trump warned any Iranian attacks could face a 'disproportionate' response;
- Hundreds of thousands flooded the streets of Tehran to mourn Soleimani;
- British tourists in Egypt were warned by the Foreign Office they could be at risk.
- Iran has vowed to avenge the death of Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad on Friday.
Washington says he was the architect of Iran's proxy wars across the Middle East and behind the deaths of hundreds of Americans in roadside bombings and other attacks.
Mr Trump issued a series of explosive tweets yesterday, threatening all-out war against the Iranian regime and boasted of the military arsenal at his disposal.
Referring to Iranian promises of retaliation published on social media, the US President tweeted: 'These media posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!'
Mr Johnson flew back from his holiday on the private island of Mustique yesterday, having ignored calls to return home early to deal with the crisis.
After landing in London, he held talks with Mr Trump, France's president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel. The PM said in a statement: 'General Qassem Soleimani posed a threat to all our interests and was responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour.
'Given the leading role he has played in actions that have led to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and western personnel, we will not lament his death.
'It is clear however that all calls for retaliation or reprisals will simply lead to more violence in the region and they are in no one's interest.' He urged all sides to encourage de-escalation and said the UK had taken steps to boost the security of UK personnel and interests in the region.
Ministers will meet today to discuss the situation and the National Security Council will gather later in the week. Parliament will be updated when it returns from recess on Tuesday.
Iran's nuclear announcement effectively ends its remaining commitments to a deal it agreed with Barack Obama. It said it would no longer observe restrictions on uranium enrichment or on research and development.
The statement noted that the steps could be reversed if Washington lifted its sanctions on Tehran.
The announcement came hours after hundreds of thousands of took to the streets to mourn Soleimani and chant 'death to America'.
The general's remains were carried through the cities of Ahvaz and Mashhad, ahead of a burial in his home town of Kerman tomorrow. One organiser for a funeral procession called on all Iranians to donate $1 each 'in order to gather an $80million bounty on President Trump's head'.
In a major blow for the fight against Islamic State, Iraq's parliament met for an emergency session yesterday and vowed to expel the 5,000 US troops in the country.
The vote still needs the approval of the Iraqi government, which has allowed a US-led presence to help combat the terror group. It had the backing of prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who said it was 'time for American troops to leave'.
The US-led coalition announced its troops had suspended training in order to focus on protecting bases from Iranian attacks.
Iran has issued a series of threats against the Americans, with the foreign minister warning that the days of US troops in the region were over.
Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted: 'Whether kicking or screaming, end of US malign presence in West Asia has begun.'
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned in a televised address that US troops would pay the price for the killing of Soleimani by returning home in coffins.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused European allies of not being 'helpful enough' following the assassination.
Speaking on Sky News, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: 'Let's be very clear: Soleimani was a regional menace, and we understand the position that the Americans found themselves in, and they have a right to exercise self-defence.
'They have explained the basis on which that was done, and we are sympathetic to the situation they found themselves in.'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Raab's declaration of sympathy for the 'reckless and lawless killing was craven and dangerous'.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
