Iran key to fighting terror, extremism: British MP

A British lawmaker says Iran’s help is needed in the fight against extremism and terrorism in the Middle East.

“Iran knows the region extremely well,” said Richard Bacon, adding, “And many countries in the West – Britain, France, US – have been trying to influence what is going on with Daesh in Syria and in Iraq, but with great difficulty… and I think we need the knowledge and the insight of a country like Iran in the region to help us.”

Bacon, who is also the chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Iran, was speaking to IRNA on the sidelines of a Sunday ceremony in the British capital of London to reopen Iran’s Embassy in the UK.

He underlined that regional crises cannot be settled without Iran’s contribution.

“I think many of the problems in the Middle East with Syria, Iraq and with Daesh will not be solved without the input of countries like Iran, which has deep inside knowledge and local knowledge and understands the problems with a depth that we cannot hope to match,” the legislator said.

He also pinpointed Iran’s key role in establishing peace in the region.

“We all want to see the Middle East, including both sides of the Persian Gulf, living in peace…  Iran has a very important part in making all that happen,” Bacon said.

“We need the help of countries like Iran to secure peace in the Middle East,” he said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the British MP touched upon the significance of the reopening of the Iranian Embassy in London, and said his country sees the development as a key step toward resuming diplomatic ties with Tehran.

“It is very important to have relations with Iran,” said Bacon, adding, “Iran is an extremely important player in the Middle East and it’s been very disappointing that we’ve not had proper diplomatic relations with them for so long.”

The Iranian and British embassies reopened in Iran and the UK in official ceremonies on Sunday.

Britain shut down its embassy in Tehran in November 2011 and withdrew its diplomatic staff after hundreds of Iranian students staged a protest outside the British embassy in Tehran against the expansion of UK sanctions on Iran, pulling down the UK flag and demanding the expulsion of the British ambassador.

In late November 2011, Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) approved a bill to downgrade the diplomatic ties between Tehran and London to the level of chargé d’affaires, and limit all economic and cultural collaborations to the minimum level.

Nearly two years after their diplomatic ties were severed, Iran and Britain agreed in October 2013 to appoint non-resident chargés d’affaires as a first step toward the resumption of ties.

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