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Written question asked by Miriam Cates (Conservative) on Thursday, 21 July 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 5 September 2022. It was answered by Amanda Milling (Conservative) on Monday, 5 September 2022 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Iran: Nuclear Weapons

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of the joint US-Israel declaration on preventing Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.

Answer

We note the US and Israel adopted the Jerusalem Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration in July 2022. The UK's long-standing objective is that Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. Iran has been in non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) since 2019 and its nuclear programme has never been more advanced than it is today. Iran's escalation of its nuclear activities is threatening regional and international peace and security and undermining the global non-proliferation system.

There has been a viable deal on the table since March which would return Iran to compliance with its JCPoA commitments, and return the US to the deal. The deal would reverse Iran's nuclear escalation, return Iran's nuclear programme to strict JCPoA limits and restore extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency. If Iran fails to conclude the deal its nuclear escalation will cause the collapse of the JCPoA. In this scenario we would carefully consider all options in partnership with our allies.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
42305
Session
2022-23
Subjects
Foreign relations Nuclear weapons USA Israel Iran
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk