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Britain yesterday called for calm after the United States killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani and said a war with Iran would only benefit Islamist militants across the Middle East.
“What we’re looking to do is to de-escalate the tensions with Iran and make sure in relation to Iraq that we don’t lose the hard won gains that we secured against Daesh,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
“We are concerned that if we see a full blown war it would be very damaging and actually the terrorists, in particular Daesh (Islamic State), would be the only winners.” “We’re working with our U.S. partners, our EU partners, that is why I’m traveling out to Brussels today, to make sure we send a very clear and consistent message on the need for de-escalation and to find a diplomatic route though.”
Meanwhile, France has said it has no plans to cut its troop numbers from Iraq for the moment following the killing of a top Iranian military commander that has exacerbated tensions in the region.
Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly yesterday said on Twitter that given the events in Baghdad, France had already reinforced security for its 160 soldiers stationed in Iraq. She reiterated that Paris’ priority was the fight against Islamic State militants, who were re-merging in the area.
“In this context, France calls on Iran to not contribute to the escalation and return and fully comply with the (2015) nuclear accord,” she said. France provides training and logistical support to Iraqi and Kurdish forces part of the anti-Islamic State coalition in the country.
