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LONDON: Military action against Iran with the goal of shutting down its nuclear programme would be “highly dangerous” and “counter-productive”, according to an independent British report published Monday.
The report, which concludes that diplomatic solutions to the issue must be “resolutely” pursued, and says that while Britain and Prime Minister Tony Blair can play a major role in resolving the impasse by putting pressure on the United States, “only through direct US-Iranian engagement can an agreement be found”.
Among the report's authors are the development charity Oxfam, the Blairite think-tank the Foreign Policy Centre, along with Unison, Amicus and the GMB — three of Britain's biggest trade unions.
Also co-authoring the report are religious organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain, and Pax Christi, an international Christian anti-war charity.
“The consequences of any possible future military action could be wholly counter-productive as well as highly dangerous. Diplomatic solutions to the Iranian nuclear issue must be pursued resolutely,” the report read.
It noted several possible negative consequences of any military action, including paradoxically strengthening “the resolve of the Iranian regime to become a nuclear weapons power” and the likelihood of Iran's exit from the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
According to the authors, another possible consequence would be an “inflammation” of the war on terror, along with a chance that the European Union, which partially depends on Iran for its energy needs, “could feel the squeeze and possibly even experience recession.”
It called for Britain to use its diplomatic clout with the United States to “advocate for direct US engagement” which it says is essential to resolving the current situation.
But, according to the report's authors, “it cannot be said that the potential for diplomacy has been explored fully when direct talks between Iran and the US have not taken place.”
The UN Security Council late last year passed a resolution imposing limited sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment — the process that makes nuclear fuel as well as material for making an atomic bomb.
The West fears the nuclear programme is covertly designed to make weapons, while Iran insists it is entirely peaceful.
