Iran and the Middle East

Lord Austin of Dudley Excerpts

Monday 9th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Bousted (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords—

[Lord Polak (Con)]

My Lords—

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

Of course, we are talking to our partners in the United States about this and very many other issues. We have all heard these reports and, of course, when situations such as this occur, any loss of civilian life is deeply regrettable, whether they be Israeli, Iranian or anybody else.

[Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, we might not have declared war on Iran, of course, but Iran has certainly declared war on the West and on us, not just threatening Israel, our closest ally in the region, but organising terror attacks here in the UK, kidnapping British citizens and threatening our citizens and bases in the Gulf. Of course, it would be better if these things could be resolved by negotiation, but what evidence can the Government point to of the Iranians being able to be trusted because they have stuck to any of the agreements that they have made in the past?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I take that as a fair challenge. I am very well aware of the noble Lord’s views on this topic, and we have discussed them on many occasions—but the point that still stands as regards the United Kingdom’s position on this is that we must have clarity in international law, which we do for the actions that we are taking. However, we will also have to have a clear plan and a clear way forward.