Committee publication · Correspondence · 6 July 2026
Correspondence with the Minister for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, relating to the Government's policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, dated 29 and 08 June 2026
Summary
Correspondence between the Foreign Affairs Committee (8 June 2026) and Minister Hamish Falconer (29 June 2026) on UK policy towards Iran. The Committee requests clarity on strategic objectives, regional destabilisation, nuclear threats, human rights, and staffing. The Minister sets out UK priorities: countering Iranian state threats (now at highest-ever level), preventing nuclear weapons development, addressing regional proxies, protecting detainees including Craig and Lindsay Foreman, and supporting diplomatic efforts including a US–Iran Memorandum of Understanding.
Key findings
- Iranian state threat to UK assessed at highest-ever level; MI5 tracked 20+ potential lethal Iran-backed plots in 2025 alone
- Iran's closure of Strait of Hormuz has trapped ~20,000 seafarers and hundreds of commercial vessels since February 2026; Government cites cost-of-living impact on UK families
- Iran has accumulated 400kg+ of high-enriched uranium and refused IAEA inspector access for over a year, breaching safeguard obligations
- UK Government introduced National Security (State Threats) Bill on 9 June to designate state-threat bodies and strengthen police/intelligence powers; expected to come into force as early as next month
- UK maintains 105 human rights sanctions targeting Iranian officials; condemned January 2026 crackdowns as deadliest in Islamic Republic's history; Embassy in Tehran reopened 23 May to enable diplomatic engagement
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Hamish Falconer MP, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Yvette Cooper MP, Craig and Lindsay Foreman, President Trump, Foreign Secretary, Eleanor Sanders, Iranian regime
Notable line
“The Iranian state threat to the UK has been rising for a number of years and is now at its highest ever level.”
Key Quotes
“The Iranian state threat to the UK has been rising for a number of years and is now at its highest ever level. In 2025 alone, MI5 tracked more than twenty potential lethal Iran-backed plots in the UK.”
“Between the Strait being closed in February and today, hundreds of commercial vessels and around 20,000 seafarers have been trapped.”
“Iran has continued to expand its programme in ways that lack any credible civilian justification, accumulating a stockpile of over 400kg of high enriched uranium – the only state without nuclear weapons to do so.”
“The new National Security (State Threats) Bill was introduced to parliament on 9 June, fulfilling our manifesto commitment. It will create a new power for the Government to designate bodies engaged in state threat activity.”
“Consular cases in Iran remain a priority, including that of Craig and Lindsay Foreman whose sentence is completely unjustified and appalling. We continue to pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government and will do so until they are returned home.”
“Iran's current conflict with the United States and Israel, together with continuing concerns about the Iranian regime's role in regional instability, its support for non-state malign actors in other countries-including the UK-and persistent concerns over its potential development of nuclear weapons underline the importance of a clear and coherent UK approach.”
“We warmly welcome the announcement of the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran. This is a moment of opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilise the global economy.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗