8 hours ago
Britain must take on the vile Iranian regime
History rhymes, but rarely repeats itself exactly. The fact that the West failed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya does not mean that Britain should now pursue a policy of total disengagement in the Middle East.
For the sake of global peace and stability, America and Britain must get involved in the project to strip Iran of its nuclear program and downgrade its offensive missile capabilities. This does not mean boots on the ground, from any Western power, or any direct attack by British forces on Iranian territory. What it does mean is permitting and encouraging the use of the Diego Garcia airbase by US bombers, and assisting with the defence of Israeli airspace against Iranian drones and missiles.
It would be greatly in our national interest. Iran is sponsoring terrorist activity against the United Kingdom and its allies, funding Hamas and Hezbollah, arming the Houthi militias that are disrupting world trade, hell-bent on obtaining nuclear weapons, and dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state as a core matter of state doctrine. It is, in other words, difficult to think of an alternative regime which would be worse for Britain's interests in the region, and the chance to deal it a blow at minimal cost to ourselves is one we should leap at.
It would also be a deserved punishment for a vile regime. While some appear eager to downplay Tehran's crimes, it should be remembered that the principal victims of the Iranian state are the Iranian people; the women and minorities tortured and disappeared, and those forced to flee for their safety. We should not miss the chance to downgrade the capabilities, particularly through fear of repeating previous errors.
What went wrong in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya was not the idea that the West could intervene for the better in a complex region, but the decision in the first two to put boots on the ground, and in Libya to intervene without care as to which force would replace Gadaffi.
In Iran, in contrast, the primary objective would be to defang an already maximally destabilising power, decapitating its military leadership, dismantling its nuclear programme, and striking military assets used to bomb Israel and threaten Western bases. Should this prove a catalyst for regime change, this would likely be an improvement: the Iranian people have no great love for their leaders, and may replace them with a government less hostile to the West.
Rather than standing in the way of American and Israeli efforts to conduct such an operation, Downing Street should be offering assistance. It would leave Britain in a safer position than the status quo, with our regional interests advanced: a clear strategic victory.
