Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge has indicated the Conservatives would back American military strikes aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Speaking to GB News, the minister said that while such action remains speculative, the Tories would "not, in principle, be opposed to" supporting the US if it pursued this course.
"We do recognise the scale of that threat," Cartlidge said, emphasising that party leader Kemi Badenoch has been "very clear" about opposing Iranian nuclear ambitions.
The Shadow Minister stressed that any such support would be conditional on US and Israeli intelligence determining that military action was the sole viable option to halt Iran's nuclear programme.
James Cartlidge has indicated that Donald Trump would be 'supported' by the Conservatives in any action against Iran
GB News
Cartlidge expressed alarm over recent International Atomic Energy Agency findings regarding Iran's nuclear activities.
"The reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency are very worrying that they have a level of uranium enrichment which is unprecedented for a non-nuclear armed state," he stated.
The Shadow Defence Secretary suggested these enrichment levels could have only one purpose: "It can only imply one thing, as far as I can see.
"And if the US, together with Israelis, take the view that that intelligence means the only way to stop it is to take decisive military action, then that's something we would not, in principle, be opposed to. We do recognise the scale of that threat."
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Cartlidge highlighted recent attacks on British forces by Iranian-backed groups, and that Iran is a "very clear threat".
"It wasn't very long ago that the Houthis, who are a terrorist movement supported by Iran, received ballistic missiles and other weaponry from Iran, and they were used to attack our own naval ships," Cartlidge told GB News.
He characterised the current situation as "very serious", pointing to these attacks as justification for Israel's recent military actions.
"That's why we understand why Israel has taken the decisive action that it has," he said.
Cartlidge told GB News that Iran is currently a 'very clear threat' to the West
GB News
Cartlidge acknowledged ongoing debates about designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, noting Foreign Office reservations about maintaining diplomatic channels.
However, he suggested current circumstances had moved beyond such considerations: "At the moment, in many ways, we are beyond all that, aren't we?
"We are in a situation where you now have kinetic strikes between Iran and Israel constantly ongoing. Clearly, this is coming to a head."
The Shadow Defence Secretary reiterated the Conservative position: "Just to be clear to your viewers, from our party's point of view, Iran is a very clear threat and in principle, we would not rule out supporting the US if it went down this road. But at the moment, that's speculation. Let's see what happens."
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