Now is the time for effective military action on Iran, ex-UK commander says

Former British army commander Richard Kemp has urged US President Donald Trump to take immediate military action against Iran, warning that diplomacy will only serve to delay the inevitable.

In an article published by The Telegraph on Sunday, Kemp argued that Tehran is using negotiations to buy time. “Iran will do everything it can to spin out talks with the US, doing its best to lead the negotiators along while manipulating Europeans to throw a lifeline,” he wrote.

Kemp said Iran is rebuilding its military capabilities, including replacing Russian-supplied air defenses damaged in Israeli strikes last October, and is further hardening and dispersing its nuclear facilities. He argued that Tehran has repeatedly violated both the 2015 nuclear deal and its commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“Even if a deal is agreed, it won’t be worth the paper it’s written on,” Kemp wrote. “Whatever obfuscation it comes up with, Iran will not voluntarily surrender its nuclear weapons program.”

He called on Washington to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a green light to act against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and to provide full support.