British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a phone call that Iran must comply with the terms of the nuclear deal agreed with major powers and cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Iran said on Sunday it was taking a further step back from its commitments to abandon limits on enriching uranium after Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani was killed by a US drone strike in Iraq.
“The leaders discussed the situation in Iraq following the death of Qassem Soleimani. They agreed on the importance of reducing tensions and finding a diplomatic way through the current crisis,” a statement from Johnson’s office said.
“They agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon and must comply with the terms of the nuclear deal.”
Separately, Britain's defense secretary urged Iranian leaders not to retaliating for Soleimani’s killing.
Ben Wallace appealed for calm Tuesday even as he told the House of Commons that Iran's “aggressive behavior" such as seizing civilian ships "was never going to go unchallenged."
Nonetheless, he says further conflict is in no one's interest. He added that “Her Majesty's Government urges Iran to return to the normal behavior of the country it aspires to be."
Wallace says it is up to the US to explain its decision to eliminate Soleimani. He added that from the intelligence he has seen "it is clear there was a case for self-defense to be made about an individual who had come to Iraq to coordinate murder and attacks on US citizens.”
