Iran’s remarks ‘completely unacceptable’
Tony Blair has described as “completely and utterly unacceptable” the Iranian president’s call to “wipe Israel off the map”.
Speaking after yesterday’s meeting of EU leaders at Hampton Court, the prime minister said he felt a “real sense of revulsion” at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s remarks.
His words came as, in an unusual intervention, UN secretary general Kofi Annan reminded Iran that it had undertaken not to threaten the use of force against another state when it signed up to the international body.
The Iranian president’s comments on Wednesday were met with immediate international condemnation, with the US saying they only increased concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Last night Mr Blair reiterated this concern, saying: “Can you imagine a state like that, with an attitude like that, having a nuclear weapon?”
Tensions between the EU and the US, and the government in Tehran, are already high because of concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme. It claims it is for energy use only, but the White House disputes this.
Last night Mr Blair stopped short of calling for any specific action to be taken against Iran – Israeli deputy prime minister Shimon Peres has called for its expulsion from the UN – but said this was a discussion he would be having with other world leaders.
“To anybody in Europe, knowing our history, when we hear statements like that made about Israel, it makes us feel very angry,” he told reporters.
“It is just completely wrong, and it indicates and underlines I am afraid how much some of those places need reform themselves. Because how are we going to build a more secure world with that type of attitude?”
Meanwhile, the chair of the Commons all party group on Iran has expressed unease about President Ahmadinejad’s comments, saying she did not yet know what they intended to do.
“It could be the Iranian president talking up confrontation or it could simply be that he did not realise how badly these remarks would be taken in the outside world, given that people secretly make remarks like that within Iran and there is a very strong current of feeling in Iran that feels that way,” Dr Phyllis Starkey told Newsnight.
She added: “I think it is quite possible he made the remarks not considering his position as president. In a sense I hope that is what it is because if, instead, he was deliberately provoking confrontation, then that is a very difficult situation for us to be in.
“Although it is absolutely right and proper that the EU should talk tough, the reality is that we do not have very many options other than to try to continue with Iran over the nuclear issue.”
