LONDON, 7 October 2005 — British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Iran yesterday against interfering in Iraq, saying London suspected explosives used to kill British troops there may have come from Iran.
In a joint news conference with visiting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Blair also told Tehran that London would not be subject to intimidation when querying Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons ambitions.
“What is clear is that there have been new explosive devices used not just against British troops but elsewhere in Iraq,” the British leader told reporters.
“The particular nature of those devices led us either to Iranian elements or to Hezbollah,” Blair said. “However, we can’t be sure of this at the present time.”
In Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari stood by Iran, saying the accusations leveled by Britain were “without foundation and we will not accept them.”
“Relations between Iran and Iraq are currently very friendly and strong and expanding. We are proud of the situation,” Jaafari told Iranian state television.. “Some people want to harm our existing friendly relations with Iran. But we will not let them do so. We are determined to expand our relations every day.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected accusations by a senior British official on Wednesday that the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard had supplied weapons technology to insurgents in Iraq. Lebanon’s Hezbollah also denied the latest British charges.
Blair said British troops would stay for as long as requested in Iraq, which is preparing to hold a referendum next week on a new constitution.
“There is no justification for Iran or any other country interfering in Iraq,” the British leader said.
Talabani said an early pullout by the multinational forces would be “catastrophic.”
