If you were hoping that Prime Minster of the UK Theresa May would be another fearless “Iron Maiden” like Margaret Thatcher who wasn’t afraid of conflict, well, don’t be disappointed but… she’s not. MAy claimed that the nuclear agreement with Teheran is “vitally important” for regional security, The Wall Street Journal reported. This statement was made at a meeting of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council. May's words are far different than those of President-elect Donald Trump who labeled the deal disastrous and said he would tear up the nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Congress extended its sanctions against Iran and members of Trump's future cabinet have expressed strong opposition to the deal. Immediately after the presidential election, Walid Phares, one of Trump’s foreign policy advisors, said that he envisions Trump changing the agreement as opposed to tearing it up. Iran, on the other hand, says the agreement can’t be reneged at all and is very upset at Congress for extending the sanctions against them.
In contrast, Prime Minister May told the Gulf leaders that she is clear-eyed about the threat of Iran. The deal neutralized the possibility that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons for the next ten years and that was very important. That doesn’t negate the idea that “we must also work together to push back against Iran’s aggressive regional actions,” May said, “whether in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria or in the Gulf itself.”
May was the first Prime Minister to participate in the Gulf Summit. This may be to look for business after withdrawing from the EU. We hope business deals don't take precedence over world security but recent history has proven that business comes first.