Politics

Ex-Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says Soleimani killing has plunged Britain into ‘game of chicken’


DONALD Trump’s decision to assassinate Iran’s top general has left the world trapped in a deadly game of chicken, ex-Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said last night.

The US President’s decision to kill General Qassem Soleimani left Boris Johnson blind-sided as he holidayed in the Caribbean.

 Jeremy Hunt has said the world is trapped in a deadly game of chicken

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Jeremy Hunt has said the world is trapped in a deadly game of chickenCredit: Getty Images – Getty
 The US President’s decision to kill General Qassem Soleimani has left Boris Johnson blind-sided

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The US President’s decision to kill General Qassem Soleimani has left Boris Johnson blind-sidedCredit: AP:Associated Press
 The decision to kill the Iranian general took place at a secret meeting at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort

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The decision to kill the Iranian general took place at a secret meeting at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resortCredit: AFP or licensors

Now Jeremy Hunt has likened the tension between the US and Iran was to an “incredibly dangerous game of chicken that’s going on at the moment”.

The Prime Minister has yet to make any public comment about the US drone missile attack after spending a week at a £20,000-a-week villa.

BoJo is expected to hold a host of crunch calls with world leaders including President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the coming days.

Officials will update him on the situation as soon as he lands in the country on Sunday following on from briefings he received while on his Mustique break.

He has also scheduled a series of meetings with Ministers on Monday during his first full day back behind his desk at Number 10.

Officials across Whitehall have been dragged back to work from their Christmas breaks after the death of Iran’s second most powerful figure.

‘CRISIS’

One unnamed Cabinet Minister last night said: “We’ve won the election where we will finally Brexit done. But we’ve actually walked into a crisis on the world stage.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will fly to the US to hold a crunch face-to-face meeting in the coming days with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The pre-planned trip to Washington DC takes on added significance in light of the Middle East missile attack. He will also fly to Canada on the transatlantic trip.

Urgent meetings are also being set up with his counterparts in Paris and Berlin in the coming days.

A Whitehall source said: “It will be an attempt to bring the transatlantic community together, encourage de-escalation and prevent wider conflict in the region.”

Security officials here were last night said to be ever vigilant bracing themselves for a cyber warfare attack on the UK’s infrastructure.

 BoJo is expected to hold a host of crunch calls with world leaders including Angela Merkel in the coming days

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BoJo is expected to hold a host of crunch calls with world leaders including Angela Merkel in the coming daysCredit: Reuters
 Urgent meetings are being set up between Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and his counterparts in Paris and Berlin

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Urgent meetings are being set up between Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and his counterparts in Paris and BerlinCredit: AP:Associated Press

Ex-Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt added that “both sides have calculated that the other side cannot afford, and doesn’t want, to go to war”.

He added: “So they are doing increasingly extreme things, not just the assassination of General Soleimani but the bombing of the Saudi oil facility, last September, is another example of this.”

He also said the failure to notify the UK of the attack in advance was “regrettable” as allies should ensure “there are no surprises in the relationship”.

It has emerged that the decision to finally kill the Iranian general took place at a secret meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort in a windowless basement room.

The meeting came after a missile attack killed an US contractor at an Iraqi military base and 48 hours before Iran-backed militias stormed the US Embassy compound in Baghdad.

One UK defence source said: “Iran has been carrying out sub-threshold attacks so that war would never be declared. The response is a bold, clear move from the US.”

 Boris is due to land in the country on Sunday following his holiday in Mustique

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Boris is due to land in the country on Sunday following his holiday in MustiqueCredit: PA:Press Association

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Credit: AP:Associated Press

British nationals were last night urged not to travel to Iraq and only essential trips to Iran. The UK has 400 troops in the region with the US pledging to send an extra 3,000 troops as a precaution.

Ex-Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt last night said: “It is significant that the US, which has previously shown a proportion and restraint, says it was responding to an imminent threat.

“What matters now is the long term strategy for dealing with Iran, and to try and avoid further conflict to a region which desperately need peace and stability.”

Former Chancellor Lord Lamont who is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Iran said the PM needs to be a “candid friend” to the US.

He said: “Boris Johnston needs to be a candid friend not an echo chamber. Britain already has a different policy towards Iran from the US which we should continue .

“This whole crisis and cycle of tit for tat actions began when President Trump recklessly tore up the nuclear agreement and attempted to destabilise Iran through crippling sanctions.

“The PM should be on the side of diplomacy, dialogue and restraint.”

Iraq holds funeral procession for killed Iranian general Soleimani in Baghdad







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