Iran orders UK out of Iraq

Iran is ordering the UK to leave Iraq.

Tensions between Britain and Iran stepped up a notch yesterday when the Iranian foreign minister called on the UK to pull its troops out of Basra immediately.

"We believe that the presence of the British military forces in Basra has led to the destabilisation of the security situation in the city," Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters, denouncing what he described as human rights violations by British troops in southern Iraq.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran demands the immediate withdrawal of British forces from Basra," said the Iranian foreign minister, speaking through an interpreter during a visit to Lebanon.

Tony Blair retorted that there would be no immediate pullout from Iraq, though he has hinted at starting a phased withdrawal during the first half of this year.

"British troops are in Iraq today under a UN mandate and with the consent of the Iraqi government. They stay as long as the UN mandate is in place and the Iraqi government wishes us to stay," he said. "What I would say to the Iranians is that there is no point in trying to divert attention from the issues to do with Iran by calling into question the British presence in Iraq."

Juan Cole points out that Blair has some chutzpah to use the UN as his excuse for staying, after having flashed the UN the royal bird when he and Bush went into Iraq.

Given the structure of the current Iraqi government, it strikes me as quite likely they will side with Iran on this and order the US and the UK out of their country.