Foreign Office issues fresh warning to Britons about travelling to Iraq and Iran amid 'heightened tensions'

Dominic Raab has warned Britons to avoid travelling to Iraq amid "heightened tensions"
REUTERS
Stephanie Cockroft4 January 2020

The Foreign Office has warned British nationals to avoid Iraq and all but essential travel to Iran amid "heightened tensions" in the region.

The fresh advice, updated on Saturday, comes after the death of General Qasem Soleimani, the head of Tehran's elite Quds Force, who was killed in a US attack at Baghdad's international airport on Friday .

British nationals were advised against all travel to Iraq outside the Kurdistan region, and for those there already to consider fleeing by commercial means.

Officials also warned those in the region to "remain vigilant" after the US announced it was sending nearly 3,000 extra troops to the Middle East.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella, before her arrest in 2016
PA

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the updated advice was issued due to "heightened tensions in the region" and would be kept under review.

He said: “The first job of any government is to keep British people safe.

“Given heightened tensions in the region, the FCO now advise people not to travel to Iraq, with the exception of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and to consider carefully whether it’s essential to travel to Iran.

“We will keep this under review.”

The warning follows the killing of Qasem Soleimani, who died in an airstrike in Iraq 
ISNA/AFP via Getty Images

Gen Soleimani was head of Iran's elite Quds Force and masterminded Tehran's regional security strategy.

The Foreign Office's advice also cited violent demonstrations outside the US embassy in Baghdad at the turn of the new year and warned further protests could take place.

The statement added: “You should avoid any rallies, marches, processions, and keep away from military sites. Follow the instructions of the local authorities at all times and keep up to date with developments, including via this travel advice.”

One of the reasons the FCO gave for the change in advice was that it was possible British nationals could be “arbitrarily” detained by authorities in Iran.

Iranians burn a US flag during a demonstration against American crimes in Tehran
AFP via Getty Images

“There is a risk that British nationals, and a significantly higher risk that British-Iranian dual nationals, could be arbitrarily detained or arrested in Iran.

“The criminal justice process followed in such cases falls below international standards.”

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been among the dual nationals being held in Iran since she was arrested in 2016 and accused of spying while visiting family.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I sit here partly worried for what that means for Nazanin, partly worried what that means for my in-laws, sat in their ordinary living room in Tehran where they're all really worried."

Amid fears wider conflict could break out, an American official denied the US was behind a second deadly air strike on two vehicles being reported north of Baghdad.

Mr Trump continued with his rhetoric despite widespread calls for calm, saying that Gen Soleimani's "reign of terror is over" and describing him as having a "sick passion" for killing.

Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt warned of the peril being faced after recent "extreme" actions by both the US and Iran, which have simmered since Mr Trump tore up a nuclear deal between the nations

"Well it's an incredibly dangerous game of chicken that's going on at the moment, because both sides have calculated that the other side cannot afford, and doesn't want, to go to war," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Mr Hunt warned the tensions created a "very difficult situation" for the UK as an ally of the States, saying Britain "cannot afford to be neutral".

"But this is a very, very risky situation, and I think the job that we have to do as one of the US's closest allies is to use our influence to argue for more consistent US policy," he said.

Although not confirmed by the Government, there has been criticism of the US for apparently not giving warning of the attack to the UK, which has hundreds of troops deployed in Iraq.

Mr Hunt said a failure to notify would be "regrettable" because allies should ensure "there are no surprises in the relationship".

Boris Johnson has been on holiday on the private Caribbean island of Mustique. He has not commented on the general's killing and Number 10 has not said when he will return.

Outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wrote to the PM calling for an urgent meeting of the Privy Council in part to discuss whether the "assassination" had heightened the terror risk to the UK.

"The UK Government should urge restraint on the part of both Iran and the US, and stand up to the belligerent actions and rhetoric coming from the United States," Mr Corbyn had warned.

"All countries in the region and beyond should seek to ratchet down the tensions to avoid deepening conflict, which can only bring further misery to the region, 17 years on from the disastrous invasion of Iraq."​

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