Backbench Business — Iran (UK Foreign Policy)

Part of Business of the House – in the House of Commons at 12:02 pm on 6 November 2014.

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Photo of John Baron John Baron Conservative, Basildon and Billericay 12:02, 6 November 2014

I am listening intently and with great interest and I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on securing this debate. However, he will perhaps agree that it was not just a question of the election of President Rouhani; there have been attempts in the past by Iran to reach out. While accepting that mistakes have been made by both sides in this difficult relationship, one only has to think of immediately after 9/11 when the Iranians reached out, and the early days of Afghanistan when they tried to help and did, indeed, help, but were rebuffed by the “axis of evil” speech by President Bush, for example.