Our next PM needs to become an Iran expert. And fast | Alistair Burt
An incoming prime minister could be forgiven for feeling that the fates have been a touch unkind. As well as no majority in parliament, an uncertain domestic agenda and the vortex of Brexit, now a fully formed international crisis sits in the in-tray marked "Iran". It will be an early test of diplomatic dexterity.
We should not be here. As always, it helps to see the world as others see it, without compromise or acceptance of another's perceptions. Iran has long and complex relationships all round. A Shia state surrounded by Sunni states, it sees its history as one requiring constant vigilance to survive in a world that stood by when it was attacked by Iraq and lost perhaps up to a million people, and one where economic sanctions threaten its people and government stability.
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