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Straw rules out any British attack against Iran
London, June 30: Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today said that there are no circumstances under which Britain would agree to an attack against Iran, which is under pressure to allow more intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities.
London, June 30: Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today said that there are no circumstances under which Britain would agree to an attack against Iran, which is under pressure to allow more intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities.
Straw, who was finishing a two-day visit to Iran today, told British Broadcasting Corp. Radio that Iran could not be compared with its neighbour Iraq in terms of political system or danger posed to the region, although US President George W Bush has called Iran part of an axis of evil.
Straw said no one knew if Iran was developing nuclear weapons, and added that he would urge Iranian President Mohammad Khatami later today to allow more intrusive inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.
"What we, in concert with everybody else in the international community, are proposing is that they (the Iranian authorities) have to sign up to an additional protocol which provides for more intrusive inspections," Straw told a private TV channel.
"The first consequence if they fail to sign up will be that they are not able to make progress on other issues," including a planned trade agreement between Iran and the European Union, Straw said.
However, when asked if he believed there were no circumstances in which Britain would agree to an attack on Iran, straw replied, "Yes, and I can conceive of no such circumstances."
Bureau Report
Straw said no one knew if Iran was developing nuclear weapons, and added that he would urge Iranian President Mohammad Khatami later today to allow more intrusive inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.
"What we, in concert with everybody else in the international community, are proposing is that they (the Iranian authorities) have to sign up to an additional protocol which provides for more intrusive inspections," Straw told a private TV channel.
"The first consequence if they fail to sign up will be that they are not able to make progress on other issues," including a planned trade agreement between Iran and the European Union, Straw said.
However, when asked if he believed there were no circumstances in which Britain would agree to an attack on Iran, straw replied, "Yes, and I can conceive of no such circumstances."
Bureau Report