8 hours ago
Former UK Ambassador to Iran says Britain has always wanted 'lasting solution' to Iran's growing Nuclear weapons programme
The former UK Ambassador to Iran says the UK has always wanted a 'lasting solution' to Iran's growing Nuclear weapons programme.
It comes after US President Donald Trump sensationally called for regime change, suggesting a new leader could 'Make Iran Great Again'.
The President said air strikes by US B-2 bombers on Saturday caused 'monumental damage to all nuclear sites in Iran'.
The 'bunker buster' raid from Trump stunned the world and led the United Nations to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon, where officials said the US crippled Iran's crucial enrichment sites.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been in power since 1989.
Trump and Keir Starmer previously called for Khamenei to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible.
Robert Macaire, ambassador to Iran between 2018 and 2021, said the UK has always held the threat of military action against Iran.
Speaking on LBC, Mr Macaire said: 'It is absolutely clear that although Britain has been involved for decades now in trying to find solutions to Iran's nuclear programme and the threat it poses and has tried to do that through diplomatic and negotiated means.
'The threat of military action by the US or by Israel of by both, has always been in the background .
'I don't think Britain is in a unique position in wanting to say, when the dust has settled, we would still like to see a lasting, and negotiated, agreed solution that leaves this problem and other issues to do with Iran's threats to the world and for the region in a position that has been firmly locked down in a negotiated way rather than seeing future conflict.'
Mr Macaire also warned a regime change in the Middle Eastern nation could lead to 'revolution, chaos and civil war'.
He said: 'I spent three and a half years in Iran and met countless people who would be very open in saying they absolutely detested regime.
'But then if you carry on the conversation, most of them say if the alternative is a revolution, chaos and civil war, like we have seen in Syria, Libya and Iraq, that is worse.
'I think that ordinary Iranian people feel that quite strongly, that is quite high in their mind
'The idea of a regime collapse and what could potentially be a civil war would be disastrous for Iran, terrible for the region and for the global economy.
'You could worry that maybe it is not bad for everyone. Israel might feel an Iran in that state was less of a threat, but it doesn't seem that is an objective for the west to be seeking.
'If someone from IRGC or military comes forward and takes over, it is unlikely to be positive in terms of the things we are looking for.'
The former ambassador said it was 'brutal' to see what was happening to Iran, which he described as a 'fantastic country with an enormous potential'
He added: 'It is a country of 90 million people, it is huge, it is incredibly varied and diverse. The fact it is such a long lasting culture, It has been a country for longer than most makes it very different to other states in the region.
'The Iranian people are incredibly talented, successful, high-achieving people, who are being held back by a ghastly regime and it has just gone on for too long.'
Last night Russia warned Donald Trump's attack on Iran's nuclear programme has opened 'Pandora's box'.
Moscow's United Nations ambassador Vassily Nebenzia issued an ominous warning at an emergency meeting of the Security Council as he said: 'No one knows what new catastrophes and suffering it will bring.'
It comes amid fears Iran will launch terror attacks on the West in revenge and as Iran's foreign minister arrives in Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin.
And he claimed Russia had offered mediation talks to find a peaceful and mutually agreeable solution to Iran's nuclear program, but the US, especially its leaders, are 'clearly not interested in diplomacy today'.
'Unless we stop the escalation,' Nebenzia warned, 'the Middle East will find itself on the verge of a large-scale conflict with unpredictable consequences for the entire international security system, plus the entire world might end up on the verge of a nuclear disaster.'
Russian ex-president Dmitriy Medvedev claimed in a post on X/Twitter early on Sunday that the US strikes on three sites in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow had backfired and led to the opposite result from what Trump had set out to achieve.
Medvedev claimed: 'Enrichment of nuclear material - and, now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons - will continue.'
Medvedev, who has served as President of Russia from 2008 to 2012, further stated that 'Iran's political regime has survived - and in all likelihood, has come out even stronger'.
He continued to claim that Iranians are 'rallying around the country's spiritual leadership, including those who were previously indifferent or opposed to it'.
His anti-US and pro-Iran social media rant was posted in English and broken down into ten points - gathering more than three million views.
There are fears Britain and other allies could face a terror backlash from the regime's supporters.
Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds last night warned that Iranian activity in the UK was already substantial, and it was 'naive' to think it won't escalate.
Britain's military bases in the region, such as RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus, were on the highest state of alert last night for revenge attacks, including by Iranian swarm drones.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'The safety of UK personnel and bases is my top priority. Force protection is at its highest level and we deployed additional jets [to Cyprus] this week.'
Other experts warned of a 'new era of terrorism' and US Vice President J D Vance said the FBI and law enforcement were on alert for threats on American soil.
Sir Keir Starmer and President Trump discussed the need for Iran to return to the negotiating table in a phone call last night, No 10 said.
A spokesman said: 'The leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East and reiterated the grave risk posed by Iran's nuclear programme to international security.
'They discussed the actions taken by the United States last night to reduce the threat and agreed that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
'They discussed the need for Iran to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible. They agreed to stay in close contact in the coming days.'
