Iranians deserve to be freed from brutal regime but Donald Trump may not care
It should go without saying that any UK military action ‘must always have a lawful basis and a viable thought-through plan’
Amid rows over the legality of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran, two things should be clear: the Tehran regime is a brutal, oppressive dictatorship and many Iranians desperately want to be rid of it.
Instead of a hostile state that kills protesters and carries out terrorist attacks around the world, there is a genuine desire for Iran to become a peaceful democracy, as laid out movingly by opposition leader in exile, Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, in an article for The Scotsman in January.
If this dream can be realised as a result of the current military action, so much the better. It would have a transformational effect on Iran, the Middle East and the world.
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Risk of major regional war
However, it is far easier to start a war than to end one. The danger is that the regime becomes even more aggressive, clamping down on dissent at home with greater ferocity and continuing to lash out at targets in neighbouring countries as it fights for its survival.
The risks of such a conflict escalating into a major regional war that costs many lives are very real. A prolonged crisis could also have a significant, global impact on energy costs and inflation.
Keir Starmer’s stance on American bases on UK territory – not allowing them to be used to attack in Iran but permitting their use to defend against Iran’s subsequent retaliatory attacks – seems reasonable. The Prime Minister’s remark that “any UK actions must always have a lawful basis and a viable thought-through plan” should go without saying, even if, in these troubled times, it does not.
In an apparent criticism of the US approach, Starmer added: “This government does not believe in regime change from the skies.” It remains to be seen whether this can happen or even if Donald Trump wants it to. It may be that, as in Venezuela, the US President is content with a more compliant regime and not overly concerned about democracy.
The long-suffering people of Iran deserve their freedom. This would be a wonderful outcome, but the apparent lack of a “viable thought-through plan” offers little hope that it is imminent.
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