The US cannot shoulder the burden of dismantling Iran’s energy export machine alone. The UK needs to step up and match our ally in both ambition and execution, says Lord Walney

Last month’s UN security council vote to reimpose nuclear sanctions on Iran confirmed a geopolitical reality recognised by policymakers on Capitol Hill many years ago: that the threat posed by the regime in Tehran must be faced down from a position of strength, not comprise.

The UK rightly played a crucial role in ensuring that Chinese and Russian efforts to keep in place sanctions relief on Iran failed.

With the snapback now activated, the UK is, at long last, aligned with the US in acknowledging the failure of the 2016 Iran Nuclear Deal. The vote also marked a reaffirmation of our commitment to working multilaterally, with the US and other partners, to face down Iranian attempts to undermine the collective, international rules-based order.

The government now has an opportunity to match the US’ political and diplomatic resolve on another critical issue – tackling the trade of sanctioned Iranian oil which underpins Tehran’s ability to project terror and instability at home and abroad.

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