BORIS Johnson has broken cover to slam the Iran general killed in Iraq as having the “blood of British troops on his hands”.
After returning from his holiday over the weekend, the PM hasn’t been seen in public since the start of the Iran crisis, which has pushed the Middle East to the brink of another war.
But the PM gave both barrels this afternoon in the first PMQs session of the New Year.
He told the House of Commons of Qasem Soleimani: “That man had the blood of British troops on his hands.”
Boris listed a string of reasons why the world was safer without the Iran general in – including his sustaining of President Assad’s “brutal regime” in Syria and “supplying IODs to those who killed and maimed British troops.”
And he insisted that Britain’s focus should be on urging Iran to de-escalate the tensions with America following the drone strike which killed Qasem Soleimani.
He added:”We should do everything we can to support the security and integrity of Iraq and the Iraqi people.”
The PM did not return early from his holiday to deal with the crisis in No10, but said this week that the UK would not “lament his death” and said the General had destabilised the entire region.
Boris said today: “We of course condemn the attack on Iraqi bases hosting coalition forces.
“Iran should not repeat these reckless and dangerous attacks but must instead pursue urgent de-escalation.”
Last night Iran fired a series of ballistic missiles at two bases in Iraq housing troops in retaliation of Soleimani’s death.
Ten of the ballistic missiles struck the Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, one hit the town of Erbil, and four others were unsuccessful in hitting their targets, according to a US official.
The PM stressed he did not want to see the crisis deepen and argued that the UK has been working “solidly since the crisis began” to bring allies together.
And he used PMQS to blast outgoing Labour boss Jeremy Corbyn, who has previously taken 10,000 to appear on Iran’s state telly channel, Press TV.
Boris blasted: “We are determined to guarantee with everything we can, the safety of the people of Iraq – where he would disband Nato.
“It is this Government that will continue to stick up for the people across the Middle East who have suffered at the hands of Qasem Soleimani and the Iranan revolutionary guard that he has led and whose terrorism he has promoted.
“I am very surprised at the end of these exchanges that he has yet to condemn the activities of Qasem.”
