OMM Newsroom
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting on Monday accused Iran of “bare-faced cheek” after Tehran designated the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force “terrorist organizations,” Anadolu Agency reported.
Iran also labelled MI6 a “hostile group” in response to Britain’s decision to outlaw support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Speaking at a joint news conference in Berlin with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, Streeting said Iran had a record of “state-sponsored terrorism.” He said the accusations against the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force did not merit a response, adding that he was minded to put press clippings about them in his downstairs toilet “as a trophy.”
Streeting said Britain remained mindful of the incident at RAF Fairford and threats from Tehran, but stressed that diplomacy should remain the priority.
“At this stage, what we should be working towards is de-escalation and diplomacy for all of the challenges that we have with Iran,” he said.
The news conference also covered wider European security concerns. Streeting said the threat facing Europe was growing.
“We face a level of threat that we haven’t seen since the end of the Cold War, and unfortunately, that level of threat is growing,” he said.
He reiterated Britain’s support for Ukraine and urged NATO allies to strengthen their defence capabilities and industrial cooperation.
“We stand with Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine unequivocally. We stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he said.
UK open to German role in fighter programme
The discussions also addressed the future of Europe’s defence industry, including Germany’s potential participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a joint project by the UK, Italy and Japan to develop a next-generation combat aircraft.
Streeting said Britain was open to German involvement, but any decision would have to be made jointly by the programme’s three existing partners.
“We’d certainly be open to German participation in that program, but this is a decision that is taken jointly by the United Kingdom with Italy and Japan,” he said.
He said discussions should take place in a “three plus one format.” Britain wanted to understand Germany’s military requirements and determine whether the countries’ interests were sufficiently aligned, he added.
