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David Cameron has warned that Britain will not tolerate the escalation of Iran\u2019s \u201cmalign\u201d activities in the Middle East or on UK soil.<\/p>\n
The former prime minister described Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah as proxies for Iran and said they are contributing to an \u201cextremely high\u201d level of danger and insecurity around the world.<\/p>\n
Lord Cameron, who was made a peer in order to become Rishi Sunak\u2019s foreign secretary last month, said Iran must be sent a clear message escalation will not be tolerated.<\/p>\n
Foreign secretary Lord David Cameron has made two visits to the Middle East since returning to government <\/p>\n
(PA)<\/p>\n
And he promised that Britain would work with allies to develop a strong set of deterrent measures against Tehran.<\/p>\n
After a trip to France, Italy, Jordan and Egypt, Lord Cameron told The Telegraph: \u201cIran is a thoroughly malign influence in the region and in the world \u2013 there\u2019s no doubt about that. You\u2019ve got the Houthis, you\u2019ve got Hezbollah, you\u2019ve got the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that have actually been attacking British and American bases, troops.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd, of course, Hamas. So you\u2019ve got all of these proxies, and I think it\u2019s incredibly important that, first of all, Iran receives an incredibly clear message that this escalation will not be tolerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond of all, we need to work with our allies to develop a really strong set of deterrent measures against Iran, and it\u2019s important that we do that. The level of danger and insecurity in the world is at an extremely high level compared with previous years and decades, and the Iran threat is a part of that picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
It comes as Iranian-backed Houthi soldiers have stepped up attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
The Houthi rebels are understood to be targeting ships using the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with the pro-Hamas group seeking to disrupt ships set for Israel.<\/p>\n
Last week, oil giant BP became the latest major firm to pause shipping through the Red Sea over the attacks.<\/p>\n
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran<\/p>\n
(AP)<\/p>\n
Lord Cameron summoned Iran\u2019s most senior diplomat in the UK to the foreign office on Friday to \u201cmake clear these threats will not be tolerated\u201d.<\/p>\n
It comes amid growing concern in government at Iran\u2019s increasing aggression on the world stage.<\/p>\n
Grant Shapps also sounded the alarm over the deteriorating situation in the Gulf, with Houthis attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea.<\/p>\n
The defence secretary said the UK would not allow the critical maritime route to become a no-go area.<\/p>\n
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Shapps said: \u201cWe are committed to protecting British interests [in the Gulf] \u2013 vessels sailing under a UK flag, or with British sailors or carrying goods destined for our shores.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen the disruption the terrorist attacks have caused \u2014 with major operators, including Maersk and BP, avoiding the region. We can\u2019t allow any maritime area to become a no-go area, particularly such a vital route. But wider than that, we need to promote a safer world. The spate of illegal attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the \u201crules-based world order\u201d means Britain must be committed to repelling the attacks and protecting global trade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email David Cameron has warned that Britain will not tolerate the escalation of Iran\u2019s \u201cmalign\u201d activities in the Middle East or on UK soil. The former prime minister described Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n