LONDON: Britain on Tuesday 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.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday said the US killing of Soleimani was state terrorism, and that Iran would ‘respond proportionately.’
“We are concerned that if we see a full-blown war it would be very damaging and actually the terrorists, in particular Daesh, would be the only winners,” the British foreign secretary said.
“We’re working with our US partners, our EU partners, that is why I’m travelling 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.”
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Britain says war with Iran would strengthen militants
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Britain says war with Iran would strengthen militants
- Dominic Raab: What we’re looking to do is to de-escalate the tensions with Iran
- ‘We are concerned that if we see a full-blown war it would be very damaging’
Fresh strikes hit Iran as Israel says war enters ‘next phase’
- Powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday
- Strikes followed warnings from Israel and the US they were stepping up their attacks
TEHRAN: Fresh strikes rocked Iran on Friday as Israel vowed to escalate to a new phase in the Middle East war that has spiraled rapidly throughout the region and beyond.
Powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday as Israel said it was striking “regime infrastructure” in the city.
Internet coverage is running at about one percent, according to monitor group Netblocks, limiting information about the impact of the war on ordinary Iranians.
In Tehran, the war has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets but residents said that security forces are keeping a tight grip on the population.
The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “has closed almost every main street with armed personnel and heavy machine guns to frighten people,” a 30-year-old Tehran resident said from Paris.
“The people are the real enemy in their eyes, not the Americans. Their extremists say first you have to deal with the enemy at home.”
Friday morning’s strikes on Tehran followed warnings from Israel and the US they were stepping up their attacks, first launched on Saturday in a barrage that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We are now moving to the next phase of the operation,” Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.
“We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose,” he added.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks early Friday against neighboring countries that host US forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
It also launched a new wave of missiles and drones targeting Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday morning, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.
The latest strikes mark a full week of attacks affecting countries across the Middle East.
Powerful explosions shattered the skies above Iran’s capital Tehran early Friday as Israel said it was striking “regime infrastructure” in the city.
Internet coverage is running at about one percent, according to monitor group Netblocks, limiting information about the impact of the war on ordinary Iranians.
In Tehran, the war has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets but residents said that security forces are keeping a tight grip on the population.
The powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “has closed almost every main street with armed personnel and heavy machine guns to frighten people,” a 30-year-old Tehran resident said from Paris.
“The people are the real enemy in their eyes, not the Americans. Their extremists say first you have to deal with the enemy at home.”
Friday morning’s strikes on Tehran followed warnings from Israel and the US they were stepping up their attacks, first launched on Saturday in a barrage that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We are now moving to the next phase of the operation,” Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a televised statement.
“We have additional surprises ahead which I do not intend to disclose,” he added.
Iran launched new retaliatory attacks early Friday against neighboring countries that host US forces. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
It also launched a new wave of missiles and drones targeting Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday morning, the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.
The latest strikes mark a full week of attacks affecting countries across the Middle East.
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