Iran's ambassador to UK confronted in parliament over 'price of peace'

Envoy given hostile reception over nuclear enrichment and threat to foreign countries

Seyed Ali Mousavi, left, Iran’s new ambassador to the UK, meeting Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi before departing for his mission. Photo: Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs

British MPs have told Iran's ambassador to the UK that his country must strike a nuclear deal and agree to give up advanced uranium enrichment as the price of peace.

Seyed Ali Mousavi's appearance at the Foreign Affairs Select Committee was sombre and tense with police in body armour providing an escort and a boycott of the session by the Israeli ambassador.

The Iranian diplomat cast responsibility for the air war on Israel's offensive, rejecting MPs' concerns that Iran's breach of nuclear enrichment limits and its spread of proxies had paved the way to the conflict.

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In a tense exchange, committee member Edward Morello said: "Given that Iran has effectively lost control of its airspace, given that the [Israeli air force] can act with impunity across Iran, your proxies are refusing to respond to Israel's attack and you are rapidly running out of ballistic missiles to respond to Israel's attacks, the reality on the ground would indicate the government has very little scope but to enter into negotiations.

"Why won't Iran if it has no nuclear weapons ambitions just say the price of the ceasefire is to give up its nuclear enrichment programme?"

Mr Mousavi responded that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke to his French, German and British counterparts on Monday night offering to give nuclear assurances.

Seyed Ali Mousavi presents his credentials as Iranian ambassador to King Charles III. AFP

Committee chairman Emily Thornberry read out to Mr Mousavi the International Atomic Energy Agency ruling that found Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in two decades.

Iran had violated the safeguards with a number failures to declare materials and locations where the nuclear programme was being carried out. The IAEA board resolution added the agency was "not able to verify that there has been no diversion of nuclear material required to be safeguarded".

Mr Mousavi said Israel had seized on a politically motivated resolution to turn its sights on Iran. "The Israeli regime used this mistake to attack us," he said.

Addressing the allegations of regional destabilisation by Tehran, Mr Mousavi claimed his country's Islamic revolution in 1979 remained a source of inspiration across the region.

He took issue with concerns that Iranian regime agents represented a threat to the UK, as has been assessed in more than 20 plots within the country detected by the intelligence service MI5.

Mr Mousavi complained about the use of the word “regime” to describe the government in Tehran, insisting Iran was “a very lawful and legally responsible state”.

With US President Donald Trump using Truth Social posts on Tuesday to declare Israel had "total control of Iranian airspace", the ambassador said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had tried to destroy attempts to seal an new deal.

"We were in the very middle of negotiations with the American side but unfortunately Netanyahu destroyed this with his aggression," Mr Mousavi said. "We [have] declared the first priority is the ceasefire ... subject to a ceasefire the Israeli regime should stop their armed attack on the Iranian people and infrastructure."