UK Foreign Secretary: Failure of Nuclear Talks Will Lead to Arms Race in the Middle East

Philip Hammond, the UK Foreign Secretary, stated that a potential failure of the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran would mean creating a 'fundamentally' more unstable Middle East, with countries in the region engaging in an arms race. Hammond's remarks, published by his office, were made in the late hours of April 5, just hours before new negotiations between Iran and the US began in Lausanne, Switzerland; negotiations that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described as 'very sensitive,' and US Secretary of State John Kerry warned that a failure would lead to the 'collapse of the sanctions regime.' Reuters reported that Hammond stated the current path makes an agreement 'accessible' for the parties involved. However, he added, 'It is now Iran's turn to show flexibility and make a decisive decision to reach an agreement.' Hammond reiterated his previous statements and those of senior officials from Western powers involved in negotiations with Iran, emphasizing that 'it is better to have no agreement than to reach a bad agreement.' He continued by stating that we must keep our eyes open regarding possible alternatives. Not reaching an agreement means no restrictions on uranium enrichment, no limits on nuclear development and research, and no access to independent monitoring and verification tools for Iran's activities. Essentially, this would lead to a more unstable Middle East with the prospect of an arms race in the region. Philip Hammond tweeted: 'We are working hard to reach an agreement.' The UK, along with the US, China, Russia, France, and Germany, forms the P5+1 group that is negotiating with Iran regarding Tehran's nuclear program, which Iran claims is solely for peaceful purposes, while the West suspects its ultimate goal is to gain access to nuclear weapons.