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UK limits itself to light criticism towards Iran. For now…

Politics Materials 26 September 2017 12:22 (UTC +04:00)
On Saturday Washington has received a clear message from Tehran that it would not deviate from its regional policy
UK limits itself to light criticism towards Iran. For now…

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 26

By Azer Ahmadbayli – Trend:

On Saturday Washington has received a clear message from Tehran that it would not deviate from its regional policy and missile program’s development – things that mostly concern US administration.

President Hassan Rouhani vowed on Friday that Iran would boost its missile capabilities despite warnings from Washington that it is ready to ditch a landmark nuclear deal over the issue.

"Whether you like it or not, we are going to strengthen our military capabilities which are necessary for deterrence," Rouhani said on state television. "When it comes to defending our country, we will ask nobody for permission."

Following his words, Iran on Saturday tested a new medium-range missile. It is capable to reach Israel and US bases in the Gulf, the sources in Iran claim.

President Rouhani also touched upon other regional issues: "Whether you like it or not, we are going to defend the oppressed peoples of Yemen, Palestine and Syria," he said.

President Trump, in turn, attacked the JCPOA one more time, saying that the U.S. doesn’t have “much of an agreement” after Tehran conducted a ballistic missile test.

Knowing President Trump’s common attitude to Iran as a whole and to JCPOA in particular, there is a good reason to believe that the latest events are most likely to double the chance for US to disrupt the nuclear deal.

Iran has clearly delineated its position. It has deliberately thrown down the gauntlet at the moment when it seemed that US has remained lonely in its desire to change the JCPOA’s status-quo. Hardly had the row ended after President Trump’s tough criticism at UN General Assembly as Tehran started it all over again.

Iran’s actions could inspire someone, but to a greater extent it is coming at the wrong time.

The UK is, by default, the closest political and military ally of US regardless of what party is sitting down at the British Parliament. It used to support the US initiatives in different cases and in different times of history. Winston Churchill called it a “special relationship” in his 1946 speech. It showed itself in Korea at the beginning of 1950th, in 2003 during the US invasion to Iraq, in Libya, Afghanistan, etc.

This time Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson limited himself with soft criticism like “I am extremely concerned” and “Iran to stop its provocative acts”.

But, who knows, how it will be taken next time if Iran continues its “courageous” actions.

Tehran should think twice before launching its next ballistic missile.

There is an old saying: don’t rock the boat. Iran is now trying the international community’s patience and risks finding itself in a fair way of losing the hard-gained support.

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