London, United Kingdom. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warned Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi against further attacks on British bases, the UK foreign office said on Friday. The warning followed an earlier incident in which the Akrotiri air force base in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian-made drone.
UK foreign office account of the call
The foreign office said Cooper issued the warning during a telephone call held on Thursday and condemned what it described as “Iran’s reckless attacks” and strikes against “critical energy infrastructure” in the Middle East.
It said Cooper called for the “immediate restoration of freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz and said the UK’s military operations in the region, including some launched from Akrotiri, were carried out in “response to Iranian aggression” against countries in the Persian Gulf.
Iranian account and warnings to the UK
According to Iran’s Irna news agency, Araghchi told Cooper that the UK’s decision to allow the United States to use its bases on the UK mainland and in the Indian Ocean to launch operations makes the country a party to the conflict.
“These actions will certainly be considered participation in the aggression and will be recorded in the history of bilateral relations,” Araghchi said, calling on the UK to refrain from cooperating with the US and Israel “in military or media arenas”.
He said Iran reserved its “inherent right to defend the sovereignty and independence of our country”.
Statements on diplomacy and civilian casualties
Irna reported that Araghchi said Iran had been “attacked while engaging in diplomacy” and said more than 170 Iranian primary school children have been killed since the conflict began.
Comments on Gulf states and regional bases
Responding to Cooper’s comment about Iranian attacks on Gulf states, Araghchi said Iran respects the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and has no intention to attack them, but said US bases in those countries are used to strike Iran.
He said those countries had failed to fulfil their international responsibility to prevent the use of their territories for strikes against Iran.
Earlier UK diplomatic step
Earlier in the month, the UK’s Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said he had summoned Iran’s ambassador in London to protest the country’s “role in recent events across the Middle East”.
What impact do you think diplomatic warnings and base access decisions have on the risk of further escalation?