Exclusive: Top UK diplomat hopes Saudi-Iran deal leads to change in Tehran’s behavior

Britain welcomes the recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran and hopes that it will change Tehran’s behavior in the region, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in an interview with Al Arabiya on Thursday.

“We welcome dialogue and hope that the conversations and the meetings that the Saudis had with Iran bring about a change of behavior, but ultimately the choice is for the leadership in Tehran,” Cleverly told Al Arabiya.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in March that they had reached an agreement, brokered by China, to reestablish diplomatic relations after seven years of no formal ties.

Britain wants to see Iran cease its support and arming of armed groups in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen, Cleverly said. “If this conversation between the Saudis and the Iranians can lead to that, that is positive.”

Britain’s top diplomat said that London would view Chinese mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran as a “positive move” provided Beijing encourages Iran to stop its hostile policies against its neighbors.

“Ultimately, we judge things by their actions and it’s easy for Iran to sign up to agreements and that is a potential positive step, but the more important thing is to see what Iran actually does, whether it abides by those commitments, whether it becomes a more peaceful neighbor,” he said.

British-Saudi relations

Cooperation between Britain and Saudi Arabia across various fields, including trade, security and counterterrorism will continue to strengthen in the years to come, Cleverly said, describing the relationship between London and Riyadh as “strong and mature.”

Saudi Arabia’s “standing and influence in the world is only going to increase over time and we want to make sure that we continue to be a close partner to the Saudis,” he added.

“We are able to discuss issues directly, and I’ve very much enjoyed my relationship with his Highness, the Saudi Foreign Minister [Prince Faisal bin Farhan].”

Iranian threats on UK soil

Cleverly highlighted the Britain’s demand for an end to Iran’s plots against its critics based in the UK.

“We regard freedom of speech and press freedom as absolute priorities, so we say to Tehran: stop your aggression against critics based here in the UK,” he said.

According to Cleverly, Iran has made 16 attempts to kidnap or assassinate individuals based in the UK since early 2022.

Britain on Thursday announced the creation of a new sanctions regime targeting Iran, giving London greater powers to impose sanctions on decision-makers involved in weapons proliferation and threats against British nationals.

While expressing Britain’s willingness to engage diplomatically with Iran and hoping for changes in the Islamic Republic’s behavior, Cleverly stressed the importance of taking action “to defend ourselves, British people, and our interests” against Tehran’s actions.

Asked about Britain’s expectations regarding the new sanctions, considering Iran’s history of destabilizing the Middle East and the sanctions already in place against Tehran, Cleverly said that the Iranian government should recognize the economic pressure faced by the Iranian people due to international sanctions.

“Those things are in their hands to change; the Iranian leadership could change their behavior. They could be a more responsible actor in the region and beyond and if they were to change their behavior, we would be in a position to change our response. That’s the offer that we make to Iran: be a better actor both within your own borders, in the region, and against the UK and our friends and we will be able to change our response.”

Proscribing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – a demand made by the Iranian opposition – is an option London “always keeps in consideration,” Cleverly said.

“It is not something that we have done at the moment, but we have sanctioned the IRGC in its entirety … We always keep options open, and our response will always be linked to Iranian action and if they want our response to change then their actions should change.”

On Iran’s nuclear program, Cleverly said that Tehran’s enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels violates Tehran’s commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.

“We make it clear that we are willing to engage with Iran, but they have to understand that their continued attempts to acquire nuclear weapons is completely unacceptable and we will work with our international partners to prevent that [from] taking place,” he said.

Ukraine

Regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Cleverly was asked if China could assist in resolving the situation.

He said: “If China can impress upon [Russian President Vladimir] Putin the error of his ways, if they can impress upon Putin the complete unacceptability of threatening nuclear war and if they can impress upon Putin the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity which they have said they value very highly then I think that can be a positive move.”

Cleverly said that Putin does not seem to be receptive at the moment. He added that Britain wants a peaceful resolution based on the principles of the UN Charter and Ukraine’s sovereignty. “If China can play a part in that, we would welcome that action.”

Cleverly said Ukraine wants peace more than any other country, emphasized London’s commitment to assisting Kyiv in defending itself until a resolution is achieved, and lamented the loss of Ukrainian lives and the civilian infrastructure destroyed by Russia.

“The Ukrainians want peace, but they have also seen that Putin still has aggressive expansionist intentions, and so we continue to support Ukraine in their self-defense, and we will do so until this has been successfully resolved.”

Read more:

UK will keep defending Ukraine, sanction Iranians supplying drones to Russia: FM