Sahara: Iran’s military support to Polisario rings alarm bell at UK Parliament

The Sahara conflict and the serious regional threat posed by the Iranian military support to the Algeria-backed Polisario armed militia have triggered the alarm bell at the UK parliament.

During a debate held lately at the House of Commons on Iranian hostile activities threatening UK partners and allies, conservative MP James Duddridge (Rochford & Southend East) raised the issue of the drones provided by Teheran to the Polisario in southern Algeria, saying the Iranian UAVs could “destabilize a very fragile peace” with the Moroccans in the Sahara.

“The Iranians are also involved in places such as Tigray and South Sudan, destabilizing a whole continent as a lever of political power,” underlined the British lawmaker.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly shared the concern voiced by Duddridge who knows the continent of Africa and its politics well, explaining that the Iranian malign activity is not restricted to its own near neighborhood or, indeed, the United Kingdom.

“We look very carefully at the credible reporting of the support through military equipment not just to Russia in its attack against Ukraine, but to militia groups and other military groups in the region and across Africa,” stressed the foreign secretary, making reference to the Polisario, which is armed, financed and sheltered by Algerian junta.

“I can reassure MP James Duddridge that we will take that into consideration when it comes to any future sanctions response that we have towards the Iranian regime,” affirmed Mr. Cleverly, warning Teheran that the U.K. will not tolerate the Iranian malign behavior.

The UK government has announced plans to impose new sanctions against Iran for its hostile activities. Under existing legislation, the UK can sanction Iranians for human rights violations or nuclear proliferation activities.

The new plans would allow the government to target Iranians responsible for “hostile activities towards the UK and our partners,” the foreign secretary said.

Under the new UK sanctions regime, the Iranian decision-makers could also be sanctioned for undermining “peace, stability and security in the Middle East and internationally,” for using or spreading “weapons or weapons technologies from Iran,” and undermining democracy, rule of law and good governance.

Several international press reports have warned against Iran’s military support for Algeria and Polisario to expand its influence in North Africa threatening the stability of the whole region.