THE policy of the British government towards Iran was summed up by Middle East Minister James Cleverley in the House of Commons on November 3 this year when he said: “Our priority remains to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability, to promote stability and security in the region, to secure the release of all our dual national detainees, and to keep the diplomatic door open for new talks with Iran.”

The focus of Britain’s attention is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), generally known as the Iran nuclear deal, from which the United States withdrew unilaterally in May 2018, as part of the Trump administration’s policy of confrontation with Iran and exerting maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic.

Before the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal there was no evidence, based upon IAEA inspections, that Iran was not complying with the terms of the agreement. The US President-elect Joe Biden has stated his intention to rejoin the agreement, on the basis of Tehran’s strict compliance, and to work with European allies to strengthen and extend the deal.