Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Qasem Soleimani: PM 'will not lament' Iranian general's death

Boris Johnson has said "we will not lament" the death of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, describing him as "a threat to all our interests".

But the prime minister called for "de-escalation from all sides" following the killing in a US airstrike in Iraq on Friday.

Mr Johnson's intervention came as Iraqi MPs called for foreign troops to leave.

And in a separate joint statement, Mr Johnson and his French and German counterparts urged restraint.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the PM in calling on Iran to refrain from further violent action and proliferation.

"The current cycle of violence in Iraq must be stopped," the joint statement, released late on Sunday night, said.

With tensions rising in the region following the drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, Iran has responded by vowing revenge and announcing it will no longer abide by the restrictions in its 2015 nuclear deal.

In the statement, the three leaders urged the country to "reverse all measures inconsistent with" the deal.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is preparing to assemble key ministers to discuss the spiralling crisis in the Middle East.

The prime minister said he spoke with Mr Trump on Sunday about the assassination of the Iranian general, who spearheaded the country's military operations in the Middle East as head of the elite Quds Force.

Earlier on Sunday, in his first public statement since Soleimani's death, Mr Johnson said the 62-year-old had been "responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour in the region".

"Given the leading role he has played in actions that have led to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and western personnel, we will not lament his death," Mr Johnson said.

"It is clear, however, that all calls for retaliation or reprisals will simply lead to more violence in the region and they are in no one's interest."

Mr Johnson said the UK was in "close contact" with all sides to encourage de-escalation and said Parliament will be updated when it returns on Tuesday.

Iraqi MPs have responded to the drone strike by passing a non-binding resolution calling for an end to the foreign military presence.

Caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi spoke in favour of US and other foreign forces leaving, although most Sunni and Kurdish MPs boycotted the vote.


'Shared threat'

About 400 British troops are stationed in Iraq, while the US has 5,200.

A UK government spokesman said that coalition forces were in Iraq to protect its people and others from the Islamic State group.

"We urge the Iraqi government to ensure the coalition is able to continue our vital work countering this shared threat," he said.

Meanwhile, HMS Montrose and HMS Defender are to start accompanying UK-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, where a tanker was seized by Iran last July.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that he learned of the US attack on Soleimani "as it happened", spoke to the Iraqi prime minister on Sunday morning.

Mr Raab defended the killing because of the US's "right to self-defence" against Soleimani's use of militia's to destabilise the region and attack Western forces.

He also defended Mr Johnson for being on holiday as the crisis unfolded, saying that he had been "in constant contact with the prime minister over the Christmas break on a whole range of foreign policy issues".

Shadow foreign secretary and Labour leadership candidate Emily Thornberry accused the prime minister of "sunning himself" while the chief civil servant chaired three meetings of Cobra, the government's emergency response committee.

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon, who is standing to be Labour deputy leader, said Mr Johnson's response was "pathetic", adding that he should stand up to a US president "recklessly threatening to launch a war".

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×