What will Labour do about Iran?

Labour isn’t typically known for offering a more hawkish foreign policy platform than the Conservatives, but at the last election there was an exception: Iran.

George Robertson, the former defence secretary and Nato secretary general leading the government’s defence review, has described Tehran as part of the ‘deadly quartet’ of nations working together to challenge the Western-led global order.

Both Yvette Cooper and David Lammy have also previously spoken in strong terms about toughening up Britain’s approach to Iran. With the Home Office and Foreign Office on board, Sir Keir Starmer has the chance to enact a true cross-governmental strategy for combating this rising threat. But will he live up to the tough rhetoric?

There is no disputing the growing danger that the Islamic Republic poses to the UK and its allies. Much like Russia, Iran illustrates that a small and ramshackle economy is no barrier to being a strategic threat when a despotic government is prepared to hurl resources at the military.