Britain must resist being dragged into Trump’s reckless Iran conflict
From the outset, let me be clear that I am, of course, not a supporter of Iran’s oppressive regime. It has long denied people’s basic human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Iran suffers from systemic discrimination against women and ethnic groups.
In short, the Iranian people have been repressed relentlessly, and the regime’s humanitarian record is about as abysmal as you could imagine. However, Donald Trump’s war on Iran is both illegal and dangerously irresponsible. The US President launched his campaign without Congressional approval, lacking international consensus, and without any discernible long-term strategy beyond bombing a nation into submission with the aim of achieving regime change from the skies.
Even in his own administration, officials have struggled to get the government’s story straight in the chaotic hours and days following the initial strikes on Iran. Everything we are witnessing now, from the mounting civilian death toll to regional and global economic turmoil, has been entirely predictable and avoidable.
For the UK, this is a war that is neither ours nor one that we wanted, yet we are being dragged into it as we scramble to rescue and evacuate British nationals and keep our service personnel safe. Trump, elected in no small part on a platform of not starting new wars, has overseen military action in at least seven countries since coming into office.
He quickly got off to a “strong start” in 2026 by kidnapping the leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, before pivoting to Greenland and then turning his attention to a familiar theatre for the American pursuit of illegal wars – the Middle East. For a self-styled man of peace, he has been all too eager to unleash the full might of the US military complex. His justification of an imminent nuclear threat does not hold up to scrutiny.
We should remember the circumstances and catastrophic consequences of the illegal 2003 Iraq War, in which 179 British Armed Forces personnel and MOD civilians died, along with thousands more wounded. That is why I have said since day one of this conflict that the UK must not be brought into yet another bloody, unlawful war in the Middle East.
I recently co-sponsored the Bill that demands parliamentary approval for the deployment of British Armed Forces and military equipment, as well as the use of British military bases by other nations for armed conflict. The UK should never make the same mistake we made in Iraq by blindly following America into war without question.
I will continue to call for de-escalation and for diplomatic efforts to be stepped up because the sooner it ends, the more lives will be saved.
Under Trump, we are seeing the erosion of, and a complete disregard for, the rules-based world order built around international law. It sets a dangerous precedent and, chillingly, also signals to the autocrats of this world that “might is right” after all and that violent military actions will achieve a nation’s desired aims.
To reiterate, Trump has kidnapped the head of a state and assassinated another, all within the span of three months. That is irresponsible and reckless beyond measure and jeopardises global safety.
As we watch the economic fallout unfold in front of our eyes real-time, with many of my constituents struggling with the daily cost of living even before this crisis in the Middle East, it is worth reflecting on how successive governments in the UK have allowed the unholy marriage of private and foreign interests to dictate our energy future, closing Scotland’s only oil refinery in Grangemouth.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS and PetroChina, a petrochemical company sponsored by the Chinese state, closing the plant and ending over a century of refining, Scotland is now dependent on importing oil products.
Our national security is intrinsically linked to our fuel security and the Grangemouth refinery’s closure means we are undoubtedly in a much weaker position. Now oil is over $100 a barrel, and importing fuels to Grangemouth means we rely on others in an increasingly volatile world.
I never thought that the state owning a critical piece of infrastructure, such as an oil refinery, would be radical, but with the circumstances we find ourselves in today, I think it is only more and more common sense.
That is why we need to urgently accelerate the rate at which new investment is delivered for the next generation of clean energy industries. The reality, of course, is that this transition should have started long before the refinery’s closure for a multitude of obvious reasons.
Firstly, it could have prevented some of the exodus of talent and skilled jobs leaving the area, which has a knock-on effect on local businesses and, ultimately, communities. Secondly, it would have bolstered our energy security and, by extension, our national security.
The events unfolding around the world make one thing abundantly clear to me. The UK cannot afford to rely on others for our most basic needs. Instead, we should seize the initiative and become a world leader in driving forward the green industrial revolution that workers, communities and the world need.
The UK has the skills; what we need now is the political will to build these industries in a way that will benefit everyone.
Brian Leishman is the Member of Parliament for Alloa & Grangemouth.
