NICOLA Sturgeon has warned Boris Johnson against following Donald Trump into a bloody war with Iran.
The First Minister’s comments came as hundreds of thousands gathered in Tehran for the funeral of Qasem Soleiman, the Iranian general killed by the US in a drone strike in Baghdad on Friday.
The situation in the Middle East is tense, with the Iranians threatening revenge.
Johnson only commented late on Sunday night, following his return from a 12-day holiday in the Caribbean.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said he would “not lament” the killing of Soleimani.
He called for “de-escalation” on all sides.
Asked for her response, the First Minister called for “cool heads”.
She said: “Boris Johnson made a statement last night, perhaps belatedly, where he called for de-escalation, and as far as that goes that is welcome.
“There is a concern, and it’s a concern I share, that the UK Government will allow itself to be dragged along with and simply give support to whatever the United States now decides is the right course of action, and I don’t think that is the right thing to do.
“We’ve seen previously the consequences of the UK simply going along with what the US wants in the Middle East and that is not the right thing to do right now.
“And I say all of that as I said at the outset as somebody who has no sympathy for the Iranian regime but this is about wider strategic interests. It’s about the safety of UK and other country’s citizens in the Middle East. And proper consideration, proper strategic thought and, as I said, cool heads are what matter more than anything right now.”
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