- Analysts have predicted that Britain's departure from the European Union would bring the country closer to the US in terms of foreign policy.
- John Bolton is calling for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran.
- British-Iranian relations have deteriorated in recent months and have brought the US position closer.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton has traveled to meet with UK Prime Minster Boris Johnson’s top officials to “keep London in line with pressure on Iran and secure shipping in the Gulf.” Iran and the US-UK joint approach to the country are expected to be among the most important issues of Bolton’s meetings and talks with British officials.
Also, issues surrounding Britain’s departure from the European Union and the suspension of cooperation with China’s Huawei will also be on the agenda of the two-day Bolton talks in the UK. Analysts have predicted that Britain’s departure from the European Union would bring the country closer to the US in terms of foreign policy.
Britain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson and one of the leading figures in Brexit has announced that the UK will leave the EU on October 7 no matter what. Leaving the European Union will not only increase Britain’s economic dependence on the United States but will also require closer ties between the two countries in the area of foreign policy.
Reuters reports that John Bolton’s call for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran has been emphasized. While it seems unlikely to be realized in the short term, analysts say, it could lead to greater US and British support for Iran.
Iran-centered negotiations
British-Iranian relations have deteriorated in recent months and have brought the US position closer. Last year, the United States withdrew its comprehensive sanctions against Iran and lifted its oil sanctions on April 5. Although the British government and the new prime minister, Boris Johnson, have been critical of the US withdrawal from the agreement, several attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf and Oman have brought the two countries closer together.
The United States and the United Kingdom formally blamed the Revolutionary Guards for the attacks during a raid on two oil tankers in the Oman Sea on Thursday, June 6th. The British Foreign Office said in a statement that it was “almost certain” that the Revolutionary Guards had been involved in the attack on two oil tankers in the Oman Sea.
On Thursday, July 9, British Royal Marines seized an Iranian tanker that the British government said was “carrying crude to Syria” off the coast of Gibraltar. Britain claims that the tanker breached EU measures against the Syrian government. Iran has stated that Syria was not the destination for the ship.
After the move, relations between Iran and Britain became more complicated with some senior Iranian officials, including the leader of the Islamic Republic, declaring that the British action would not go unanswered. On July 6, the Revolutionary Guards seized a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
Following this, the United States proposed the creation of an international military alliance to secure the Persian Gulf, and to this day, Britain is the only country to declare that it will formally join the alliance.
