Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that there is an agenda within Europe and Saudi Arabia for engaging with Iran with respect to conflict resolution in the Middle East.

Like our EU partners, we continue to have serious concerns about Iran’s role in parts of the Middle East such as Syria and Yemen, and its support to militant groups such as Hizballah and Hamas. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), most recently spoke to President Rouhani about these issues on 16 July. He also spoke to King Salman of Saudi Arabia about the issues on the same day. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said on 15 July, the recent nuclear agreement with Iran has the potential to change the dynamics in the region in a positive way. We will continue to encourage Iran to re-align its approach in support of the international community’s efforts, in particular in confronting the challenge of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and resolving the crises in Yemen and Syria. We have also encouraged the Gulf Co-operation Council to strengthen its dialogue with Iran.