Elements of the Iranian regime provide munitions and training to Shi’a militia in Iraq and arms and funding to the Taliban in Afghanistan. In addition, they fund and assist armed groups in the Lebanon and in the occupied Palestinian territories. That not only poses a threat to British forces serving in operations but destabilises the security of the region. Iran can either act responsibly, cease support for terrorism and play a constructive role in Iraq or Afghanistan or face the consequences of not doing so—and it must be clear that that will mean increasing isolation.
It appears that Iranian involvement in the insurgency in Iraq is, thankfully, diminishing after the recent effort of Iraqi forces supported by US ground troops, but has the Secretary of State seen any evidence of a change in tactics by Tehran and an increase in Iranian involvement in attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan?
There is no evidence of such a change having taken place. The hon. Gentleman is right to recall that there has been a decrease in Iran’s apparent interference in Iraq’s internal affairs, which is a consequence of a number of things, including the effectiveness of Iraqi security forces against those agents and others involved in activity in southern Iraq and the growing strength of the Iraqi Government and their direct involvement with the Iranians, helping to change their behaviour. We of course keep the situation in Afghanistan under constant review, but there is no evidence of increasing interference.
Is my right hon. Friend completely satisfied that British naval forces carrying out legitimate boarding operations within the Gulf are prepared for aggressive attacks by Iranian forces?
I think that my hon. Friend might have had an opportunity to ask that question directly when members of the Select Committee recently visited that part of the world and spoke to our forces there. I am sure that the answer he would have received is that steps put in place significantly to increase the protection of our sailors in that part of the Gulf—after the regrettable incident when sailors were taken captive—are proving increasingly effective.
What assessment does the Secretary of State make of the linkage between Iranian military and Iraqi militia groups, which have been trained—by the allied forces, of course—armed and put on the street to help the security forces?
There were at one stage some concerns that militia had infiltrated Iraqi security forces. The hon. Gentleman and others will know that when General Mohan was in charge of troops in Basra, steps were taken to ensure that the majority of recruits to the 14th division, which grew out of the 10th division of the Iraqi army, did not come from the Basra area. The fact that the troops could not be intimidated may well account for the dramatic effect of the deployment of the 14th division to Basra.