The Iran-Israel conflict calls for cool heads

Telegraph

17 hours ago

The last time world leaders gathered for an economic summit in Canada it collapsed in acrimony. In a famous photograph, Angela Merkel, then German chancellor, could be seen berating a seated and petulant-looking Donald Trump in an image that symbolised the breakdown in global harmony.
Suddenly, allies were pitched against one another on matters they once approached with a common purpose, whether it be trade or security.
Apart from Emmanuel Macron, the French president, every other leader in the photograph has gone. Mr Trump, of course, is back and the same divisions are apparent.
One of the disagreements at that G7 meeting was over his decision to scrap a deal brokered by Barack Obama and the UN security council to divert Iran from its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon capability. Mr Trump took the view that Iran could not be trusted, something seemingly confirmed by Tehran's continued enrichment programme.
Those who argue this would have been halted had the original deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), been carried through need to explain why they would have any confidence in the Iranian regime to abide by its terms.
Most critical of all were the Israelis, who feared the JCPOA was just a cover for Iran to continue work on a nuclear weapon with impunity. They were never going to let that happen whatever deal was reached by countries who did not face the same existential threat from the mullahs in Tehran.
The G7 in Canada, therefore, which had been expected to focus on Ukraine, Russia and tariffs, is now reaping the whirlwind of the failure to deal with Iran until it was almost too late. The regime has fomented conflict throughout the region, sponsoring groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas intent on seeing Israel destroyed.
Most of the problems in the Middle East can be laid at Iran's door, not that the idiots waving Iranian flags in London at the weekend understand that or care since their hatred of Israel – the only democracy in the region – is all-consuming.
The impact of a prolonged war hitting energy supplies just as the world economy is dealing with tariffs and falling output will be considerable, especially if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz. The G7 leaders of democratic states need to have a clear eye on who the enemy is and to give Israel their full support in dealing with this evil menace.