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Iran is a “malign” threat whose influence clouds the conflict in Gaza and heightens tensions in the Red Sea where ships are being threatened as they sail cargo transit routes, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said.
He was speaking after a visit to Egypt, where he saw aid lorries close to the border with Gaza, and Jordan.
Last week, he joined German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock in calling for a “sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza that can be a step towards a two-state future developed with Arab help.
Lord Cameron, speaking to the Telegraph newspaper, named Iran as one of the five significant crises threatening the world – the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, terrorism and climate change being the others.
“Iran is a thoroughly malign influence in the region and in the world – there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
“You’ve got the Houthis, you’ve got Hezbollah, you’ve got the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that have actually been attacking British and American bases, troops.
“And, of course, Hamas. So you’ve got all of these proxies, and I think it’s incredibly important that, first of all, Iran receives an incredibly clear message that this escalation will not be tolerated.
“Second of all, we need to work with our allies to develop a really strong set of deterrent measures against Iran, and it’s important that we do that.
“The level of danger and insecurity in the world is at an extremely high level compared with previous years and decades, and the Iran threat is a part of that picture.”
He said attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have global significance.
The US, citing newly released intelligence, said Iran was “deeply involved” in the planning of the Houthi attacks. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called the allegations baseless.
Mr Cameron also said he understood Israel’s demand to know what is being shipped into Gaza.
“In the past, some of the economic and other support that went into Gaza, and ordinary trade and commercial trade, there is no doubt that some of those things have been used for tunnelling or dual use goods that could be used for worse things,” he said.
“I think that’s an important argument to understand. But it’s a different argument to this argument about aid. What we’re talking about now is food, water, medicine, shelter.
“Those things really by and large can’t be used for military purposes in any way, and so the interest is to get as much of that aid in as possible.
“Now I accept, absolutely, that Israel will want to check that that’s the case. But, within that constraint, I think it’s important to get more aid in.”
On Friday, the UN Security Council adopted on a UAE-drafted resolution aimed at scaling up aid into Gaza and setting the conditions for a reduction in violence.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The Equaliser 2
Director Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders
Three stars
Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
How to avoid crypto fraud
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- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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WISH
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Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
