The Israeli leader appealed to Britain to join in imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, following its ballistic missile test early last week, which is a direct violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. “Iran seeks to annihilate us, it says so openly. It seeks to conquer the Middle East. It threatens Europe, it threatens the West, it threatens the world. And it offers provocation after provocation, that is why I welcome President Trump’s insistence on sanctions against Iran, I think other nations should follow suit, certainly responsible nations. And I’d like to talk to you about how we can ensure that Iran’s aggression does not go unanswered,” said Netanyahu.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has repeated her backing for the nuclear agreement that was signed with Tehran in July of 2015, an accord that limits the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, said that during her meeting with the Israeli leader and earlier last week in her meeting with US President Donald Trump, both leaders discussed the repeated Iranian violations in their talks. Despite the apparent differences between London, Washington and Jerusalem on the matter of Iran, Britain has adopted a more positive approach to Israel since Theresa May became leader, after last year’s vote to leave the European Union, echoing the more sympathetic tone set by Trump, with whom Britain wishes to secure a post-Brexit trade deal. Last month Britain said it had reservations about a French-organized Middle East peace conference in Paris and did not back the final communique by 70 countries which reaffirmed that only a two-state solution could resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a move that angered many EU member states.