Iranian UK Residents Urge Starmer Against Further Involvement in Iran Conflict
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is among three former Iranian political prisoners and over 100 Iranians residing in the UK who have appealed to the British prime minister to avoid deeper involvement in the ongoing conflict with Iran.
These individuals are signatories of a letter addressed to the prime minister, expressing concern that the manner in which the war is being conducted is reinforcing the regime in Tehran.
The letter serves as a counterpoint to members of the Iranian diaspora who support Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former pro-Western monarch, and who endorse attacks on Iran as a step toward regime change. Pahlavi has proposed leading a democratic transition, although former US President Donald Trump has indicated he prefers an internal candidate to lead Iran.
Concerns Over Impact of Military Actions
In the letter, the signatories state:
“Nobody can claim to want the end of the Islamic republic more than we do. But attacking the country in this way will have the opposite effect. It will entrench the authoritarians and give life to the fiction that has sustained them internally for decades: that they are fighting western imperialism.”
They further comment on Israeli actions, saying:
“When Netanyahu – a man charged with international war crimes after killing countless civilians in Gaza – assassinates Iran’s dictator, that kills the man but immortalises the myth. Iranians wanted him tried and punished for his crimes, not given the martyr-ending he craved.”
Leadership Changes Following Israeli Airstrikes
The 86-year-old supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was reportedly assassinated along with many family members in Israeli airstrikes on the first day of the war. He has been succeeded by one of his sons, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Proposed Peaceful Measures to Support Opposition
The letter outlines several peaceful and practical steps to assist the internal opposition, including political prisoners, such as providing Starlink internet services to end the ongoing communications blackout within Iran.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual national, was previously imprisoned on espionage charges. Other signatories include Iranian political prisoner Aras Amiri, a former British Council employee detained in Evin prison in Tehran, and Nasrin Parvaz, who spent eight years in Iranian jails starting in 1982. The group also includes prominent Iranian community artists, academics, and writers.
They write:
“A pro-democracy policy would protect political prisoners and ensure that Israel and the US do not bomb prisons like Evin. It is in those cells where the future democratic leaders of Iran reside. A pro-democracy policy would smuggle internet devices – not weapons – across the border, and break the blackout that is blanketing the country. A pro-democracy policy would call out Israel’s assassination policy even when it targets leaders we despise. There is so much that can be done in solidarity with Iranians. But joining in with Netanyahu’s forever wars is not it.”
Starmer's Position and Iranian Community's Grief
Labour leader Keir Starmer adjusted his stance from refusing any cooperation with US attacks on Iran to supporting action if necessary to prevent attacks on Gulf states by Iran.
The Iranian group expresses their sorrow in the letter:
“We are overcome with grief. For decades we have been hoping for the day when Iranian democracy can finally flourish. Many of us have not been able to visit Iran for years for fear of imprisonment or worse.”
Criticism of Israeli Leadership and US Involvement
The signatories criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arguing that racism underpins his policy, particularly referencing his call for Iranians to rise up rather than remain passive. They reject the assumption behind his remarks that the Iranian population had been passively awaiting his military actions.
They state:
“This is of course not just Netanyahu’s war, Trump and the US are a significant part of it. But as US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said: ‘The president made the very wise decision – we knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.’ So the US followed Netanyahu into this war.”
