Tensions between the US and Iran have rocketed this week after Washington claimed the killing of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani on Friday. Tehran has warned its forces are prepared to strike in retaliations, with US President Donald Trump matching the Islamic Republic’s hard rhetoric through warnings of future strikes. But Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted both parties should work to avoid an all-out conflict to avoid a surge of ISIS and other terrorist activities in the Middle East and the rest of the world. 

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Raab said: “Let’s be very clear – General Soleimani was a regional menace and we understand the position the Americans found themselves in. They have a right to exercise self-defence.

“They’ve explained the basis on which that’s done and we’re sympathetic with the situation they’ve done themselves in. But there is a risk with the heightening of tension and we now want to see a de-escalation and the stabilisation of the situation.

“A war is, in fact, in no one’s interest. The only people that would gain are Daesh and the terrorist that would exploit the vacuum.”

The Foreign Secretary also said he had already reached out to Iraqi officials and Mr Raab will soon be speaking to his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif to assess the situation and discuss potential solutions to avoid a war.

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He continued: “We’ll be working very hard through the diplomatic network with all of our partners, the US, the Europeans and in the region, to get that message across loud and clear.

“We are looking to deescalate and stabilise the situation. That’s something we’ve talked about with our European and American friends.

“I spoke to the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Iraqi President last night and I’ll be reaching out to the Foreign Minister of Iran with that same message.”

President Trump on Saturday took to Twitter to warn Teheran the US military is prepared to target “52 Iranian sites” should Iranian forces strike back in response to Soleimani’s death. 

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The US President said: “Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, and badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently hundreds of Iranian protesters.

“He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years.

“Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!”

Mr Trump referred to a recent two-day siege at the US Embassy in Baghdad which saw staffers forced to take refuge inside the compound as crowds surrounded the building to protest American strikes the President had approved the week before.  

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The specific choice of 52 Iranian sites of cultural interest is believed to be a reference to the 52 hostages kept inside the US Embassy in Tehran during the one-year Iranian hostage crisis of 1979.

Qassem Soleimani was the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Quds squad which coordinated militias to help spread Iran’s influence in the region. He was assassinated as he headed to Baghdad International Airport after a visit to Iraq with Abu Mahdi al-Mahundis, the head of the Popular Mobilisation Committed engaged in the fight against ISIS.

President Trump claimed the threat of ISIS, also known as Daesh, had ended as he announced plans to withdraw troops from northern Syria in October.

However, Mr Trump is believed now to be planning to deploy a further 3,500 troops back into the Middle East to strengthen defences in preparation for a potential strike from Iran. 

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