Government minister rejects Tory claims that Miliband gave Iran ‘propaganda win’ with handshake

Middle East minister Stephen Doughty has strongly denied that Ed Miliband gave Iran a “propaganda win” by allowing himself to be photographed shaking hands with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Shadow foreign minister Tom Tugendhat raised the handshake in the House of Commons after he was granted an urgent question on the threats Iran poses to British interests.

“Such meetings are standard diplomatic practice,” Doughty insisted.

The Tory former security minister stated, “After almost a decade of consistent Foreign Office advice to reject photographs with Iranian officials, and particularly handshake photographs, because of the propaganda tool that it gives the regime, it seems that our Foreign Secretary has just been ambushed in New York.”

He told MPs: “Either he was ambushed by a snapper, or there has been a change of policy. It is important that we understand which, because although it is certainly clear that the Foreign Secretary did not look happy, Araghchi was absolutely beaming. If that was not deliberate, has the Foreign Office changed its advice, and if so, why?”

Outlining the threats posed to the UK—including alleged Iranian links to the Raf Fairfold suspected plot and the expansion of violence in Yemen via the Houthis targeting civilians in Riyadh—Tugendhat added: “I would be very grateful to know what made the Foreign Secretary believe that it was worth giving them a propaganda win.”

Responding, Doughty argued that Miliband’s handshake “followed the standard practice of previous Foreign Secretaries of both parties, and of those of many countries, in meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister.”

“In fact, Foreign Ministers including William Hague, Philip Hammond, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Liz Truss, David Cameron and others all engaged with Iran,” added the minister.

He then said: “It is important to understand what the Foreign Secretary raised with Foreign Minister Araghchi.

“He met with him to strongly raise the UK Government’s objections to Iran’s behaviour, to protect our interests.

“He told the Foreign Minister that Iran should choose de-escalation and diplomacy, instead of prolonging war and conflict. He underlined the importance of restoring freedom of navigation and of the reopening of the strait of Hormuz.

“He reiterated the UK’s unwavering resolve to combat threats from Iranian-backed groups on UK soil, including attacks on the British Jewish community. He made it clear that we will not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil, and set out the measures that we would take in response.

“He also raised a matter that I know will be of great interest to the House: the ongoing detention of Craig and Lindsay Foreman. He repeated our call for their immediate release, and stressed that their welfare remains a priority for the Government.”

Doughty added the threats to the UK posed by Iran are now “public” and “we are fully aware of the threat that Iran poses to the UK, our interests, and our allies and partners.”

On broader threats posed by Iran, he added: “What Iran has done in relation to Kuwait, Bahrain and other partners is utterly unacceptable. I met with all our Gulf partners in New York over recent days to reiterate our support for them, and we are engaged in heavy diplomatic and other efforts to find a resolution.

“Just this morning I spoke to my Saudi counterpart and the Foreign Minister of Yemen about the appalling Houthi attacks in recent days, not only on the people of Yemen but on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including the attacks at the airport in Riyadh and other threats.”

Earlier, Doughty had told MPs how the Government “take the threats posed by Iran to British interests extremely seriously” and has “acted robustly in response to them, and we will continue to do so.”

“Yesterday the Government sanctioned two Iranian IRGC—Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—officers for their role in state threats activity,” he added.

“In relation to Iran, we have sanctioned nearly 240 individuals and entities whose actions threaten our people and security. We will continue to keep all those tools under review, and will not hesitate to take further action where appropriate.

“Yesterday I summoned the Iranian ambassador to the Foreign Office in response to Iran’s activity, and informed him candidly and forcibly that this Government condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s continued attempts to undermine the safety and security of the United Kingdom and our allies.”

Kemi Badenoch had made a similar jibe about the Miliband handshake as she challenged Andy Burnham at the dispatch box on Monday.