Attacking Iran over nuclear ambitions 'would make world more dangerous'

Telegraph
November 17, 2009

Sir Richard Dalton, a former British ambassador to Iran, has warned against attacking the country over its nuclear ambitions, saying doing so would "make the world a more dangerous place".

Nuclear facility at Qom Photo: REUTERS

He also said it would be illegal for the international community to launch military action against Iran without solid evidence that Tehran has developed nuclear weapons.

The former diplomat, now an associate fellow at international think-tank Chatham House, was speaking as a report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog expressed concerns that Iran may have other secret nuclear plants following the discovery of a facility hidden in a mountain near Qom.

Despite concerns that the site may only be capable of producing enriched uranium for weapons - rather than nuclear energy - Sir Richard urged continuing international dialogue to uncover the truth.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: ''I believe that Iran is deterrable and I believe that an attack in the absence of an imminent threat from Iran would be illegal and would make the world a more dangerous place - both because of the consequences short-term of an attack and also the consequences long-term of it being shown that the provisions in international law against indiscriminate use of force are not being observed yet again.''

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called on Tehran to explain the history and purpose of the Qom site, which was only declared in September.

Late declaration of the facility ''reduces the level of confidence in the absence of other facilities'', the IAEA said, though Iran insists it has no other sites.

Sir Richard, who served as ambassador to Iran from 2002 to 2006, said it was ''too soon to say'' if Tehran was telling the truth, adding: ''I won't believe them until the IAEA says that I should.''

He also said it was ''far from established'' that the facility at Qom was only big enough to produce uranium for weapons rather than nuclear energy.