A British columnist who has written several books on the Middle East says Iran is gearing up to attack Great Britain and the West.
Con Coughlin, defense editor for The Telegraph, wrote a Thursday opinion column in which he called on the United Kingdom and its allies to understand Iran's intent and do "a major rethink of how we deal" with Tehran.
"With experts warning that Iran could have enough material for a nuclear warhead within two weeks, it also means Britain and its allies need to give serious consideration to how they deal with the emerging threat to their security," Coughlin wrote.
"Indeed, apart from its nuclear aspirations, Iran has been working hard to develop an arsenal of ballistic weapons capable of hitting targets in the heart of Europe."
Coughlin said the Iranians have taken advantage of Western leaders who believe maintaining a dialogue with Tehran is the key to peace.
"For far too long, the predominant view in Whitehall [British government] has been that the best way to contain the Iranian threat is to maintain a dialogue with the so-called 'moderates' there in the hope that it will result in improved ties with the West," Coughlin wrote.
"Instead, all that has happened is that Iran has made significant advances in developing a nuclear threat, from acquiring weapons grade uranium to building ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The success of these developments, moreover, appears to have given the regime the confidence to adopt a more aggressive stance towards the West, one that, given the unpredictable nature of Iranian politics, must be a major cause for concern."
Coughlin cited a recent assessment by nuclear inspectors for reason the U.S., U.K., and their allies should be alarmed regarding Iran.
He wrote that uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity have been discovered at Iran's Fordow plant, which was constructed deep beneath a mountain so that it cannot be targeted by air strikes.
The traces of uranium found at Fordow are just short of the 90% enrichment level required to make nuclear weapons.
"The latest discoveries must certainly lay to rest any prospect of reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], the flawed nuclear deal the West hoped would limit Iran's nuclear ambitions," Coughlin wrote.
The author also said Iran's "deepening desire to intensify its confrontation" with the U.S., U.K., and Western allies is evident from the support it has given Russia in the Ukraine conflict.
"Iranian drones have been involved in a number of attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure," Coughlin wrote. "U.S. national security officials have warned that Iran is aiming to expand its military support by providing ballistic missiles. Security sources have already reported that Tehran is supplying large quantities of bullets, rockets, and mortar shells to sustain the Russian war effort."
Coughlin added that there's evidence Iran is increasing its more low-level terrorist activities in Europe.
"The presence of Iranian hit squads in London sent to silence critics of the regime recently forced a prominent Iranian opposition channel to relocate to Washington," he wrote
"The British authorities could not provide adequate protection, a worrying indication of the poor state of preparedness of our security services to deal with Iran's nefarious activities."
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