This is bbc news. Im martine croxall. The headlines at seven the body of the iranian general assasinated by the us on iraqi soil is returned as Boris Johnson says we will not lament his death and calls for de escalation from all sides. Donald trump warns that america has a list of 52 targets if iran decides to retaliate. His secretary of state says the president will never shy away from protecting his country. The American People should know that every target that we strike will be a lawful target and it will be a target designed with the Singular Mission of protecting and defending america. The iraqi Prime Minister calls the killing, a political assassination and its Foreign Ministry summons the us ambassador. The australian Prime Minister warns that the bushfire emergency could last for months and announces the creation of a Recovery Agency, to help those whove lost homes. I didnt see any flame, i saw this great white ball of fire. Its all i can describe it as, just this white hot of fire. And the first big event of the awards season the Golden Globes takes place tonight in hollywood. And coming up in sport at 7 30 all the goals you need to know about in the fa cup. Good evening. The Prime Minister borisjohnson has said he will not lament the death of the top iranian general, killed by a us missile strike. But he called for a de escalation of the situaion on all sides. It comes after iraqi mps passed a resolution calling for foreign troops to leave the country in the wake of the us airstrike in baghdad. There are 5,000 american troops in iraq at the moment and the us is sending three thousand more to the region. In iran, vast crowds have turned out to mourn general solaimani. The country has declared that it will no longer abide by any of the restrictions imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal. 0ur Diplomatic CorrespondentJames Robbins reports. Tens of thousands of iranians are mourning general soleimani and apparently getting behind their leaders promising revenge. The chants are familiar, including death to america, but the context has radically changed. The war of words from both sides is intensifying. President trump has tweeted this threat of massive retaliation. If iran strikes any americans or american assets, he says, we have targeted 52 iranians sites, some at a very high level and important to iran
and the iranian culture, and those targets and iran itself will be hit very fast and very hard. The usa wants no more threats is there still risk of attack . Of course there is, there is tremendous risk. We are doing everything we can to make sure we take that down and protect american lives. That is the mission set, when the president laid out his National Security strategy three years ago, this is all in the context of a larger american strategy to create peace and stability in the middle east. Under enormous american pressure, britain is adjusting its political stance slightly. The foreign secretary sounding more sympathetic to the United States but still withholding outright support. We understand the action they took but we also need to be very clearly focused on what happens next. We want to de escalate the tensions. We want to see a route through this crisis. We do not want to see a major war in the middle east. The only group of players that would benefit from that would be the terrorists and daesh. Labours shadow foreign secretary said she shed no tears for general soleimani, he had the blood of many people on his hands. However, to take him out at this stage, when there has been escalating tensions seems to me to not be making the world safer, actually. We are taking a major lurch towards war. In the iraqi capital baghdad where the general was killed in the american strike, Iraqs Parliament has expressed its outrage, voting for the removal of all Foreign Forces from the country, although the decision is not necessarily binding. America is busy sending reinforcements to the wider region. In practice, around 5,000 us forces in iraq are unlikely to leave soon but the Us Led Coalition has announced a pause in training of iraqi forces and operations against is or daesh. The whole focus now will be on protecting its bases. Well, the Prime Minister has made
his first comments on the tensions, having arrived back in the uk from his Christmas Holiday in mustique. He said that hes spoken to president trump, as well as emannuel macron and angela merkel. Borisjohnson said that general Qasem Soleimani posed a threat to all our interests and was responsible for a pattern of disruptive, destabilising behaviour in the region, and that given the leading role he has played in actions that have led to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians and western personnel, we will not lament his death. He went on to sat that, it is clear however that all calls for retaliation or reprisals will simply lead to more violence in the region and they are in no ones interest. We are in close contact with all sides to encourage de escalation. Lets speak to our Political CorrespondentJonathan Blake. The Prime Minister back in the country and needing to show leadership on this. Two days on from
the death of Qasem Soleimani, the first statement from the Prime Minister borisjohnson first statement from the Prime MinisterBoris Johnson and first statement from the Prime Minister borisjohnson and it is interesting to read what he has had to say. It is in line with how the uk has responded over the last couple of days although there has been something of a subtle shift in that response. As you say, Boris Johnson stressing the threat that this iranians journal posed to the stability of the middle east and the deaths that he was responsible for and the key phrase they are saying that the uk will not lament his death. Going on very quickly to say that it calls that calls for retaliation will lead to more violence which had no ones interests so warning against any further escalation of the crisis and stopping short, crucially, of offering full support to the us and their actions in carrying out this drone strike. Lets not forget,
allies of the us were taken by surprise. Yes, the Prime Minister or anyone else was not told of this in advance. Dominic raab said this morning that he found out shortly after it had happened and there has been some disquiet and some frustration within whitehall and within government that the us was not clear about its actions in advance of this strike so there has been a sense that the uk has been scrambling a little bit along with other American Allies to respond and say in not so Uncertain Terms that the us needs to have a plan as to what happens next and i think that is reflected in the Prime Ministers words, saying he is in close contact with all sides to encourage de escalation. With all sides to encourage deescalation. What impact has all of this over the past two days had on the threat level, the perceived threat level, to the uk . We seem travel advice to iraq, iran and
other middle Eastern Countries updated on the Foreign Office gave details of that yesterday, adding to the restrictions and warnings that we re the restrictions and warnings that were already in place for people travelling to the region. We seem uk warships, Royal Navy Frigates and a destroyer deployed to a scott Merchant Shipping to escort shipping. Then there is also the issue of troops in iraq which will perhaps be seen as in greater danger from attacks in the fallout in the wa ke from attacks in the fallout in the wake of this killing of the iranian general, but we will hear more from the Prime Minister in the coming days im sure and we are told that the National Security council will meet this week. The foreign secretary is going to washington and parliament will be updated on tuesday. 0ur correspondentjane 0brien is in washington. How is this now playing out . A
couple of days after the strike, the approach that the white house continues to take . Secretary of state mike pompeo has been doing the rounds on American News networks this morning and really trying to shore up support for the administrations position in america because there are still questions about the justification for this killing and the legality of it. He has been saying that there was intelligence, that an attack was being planned and that the region and the world is a safer place without kassam is full of and the world is a safer place without kassam is full of Qasem Soleimani. But there is not any evidence of that attack and any real justification for the big question, why now . He was also trying to do damage control after donald trump tweeted that any retaliation from iran would be met with a response,
even holding out the possibility of targeting sites that had of cultural importance to iran. Targeting Cultural Heritage sites is at war crime under international law. Mike pompeo was saying that the us is not contemplating anything illegal and that anything it it would be within the parameters of the law. Tell us about the democrats response because of some politicians there are suggesting that this has been irresponsible and brings greater risk to the United States. Irresponsible and brings greater risk to the United Stateslj irresponsible and brings greater risk to the United States. I dont think they are suggesting, they are saying it is highly irresponsible and the president s actions have brought the country closer to open war with iran brought the country closer to open warwith iran and brought the country closer to open war with iran and massively destabilise the entire region. Its also very interesting that for the first time, the democratic president ial campaign has turned its
focus, the race has turned its focus to foreign policy. Until now it has all been about domestic issues but for the first time we have had the democratic president ial candidates being asked what they would do in the situation. Senator elizabeth warren, one of the front so far, saying that this was an assassination which is actually illegal under american law but wouldnt go so far as to say that the president had acted illegally but a lot of questions. This is really playing out into all areas of domestic policy at this point so a very interesting turn of events here. Dr Renad Mansour is Senior Research fellow in the middle east programme and project director of the Iraq Initiative at chatham house, a Foreign Affairs think tank. Thank you forjoining us this evening. Whats the significance of this vote, this resolution that was passed in the Iraqi Parliament because it doesnt have much, if any, legal weight . Because it doesnt have much, if any, legalweight . Thats right, this resolution is more political messaging, political signalling. Everyone is expecting a response or retaliation to what happened at the Iraqi Government, particularly the Iraqi Government, particularly the iraqi Prime Minister, wanted to come out immediately with some kind of response and, barring the kind of Security Military response, this is a political response, this is wide this has wide implications full stop if it goes through, the government is forcing american troops to leave their territory. Until now, there was a small group of iraqi politicians close to iran would constantly be saying this but it was often said by many of the other side is understood what the us troops brought to the fight against isis and other issues in the country. With this strike and what the parliament are signalling, even with some of the rhetoric and
discourse you see coming out of the parliament, clearly things have changed. How can the United States be compelled, though, to remove their troops because it seems its a double edged sword for the americans if they do leave and if they dont. The other might guess, until now, the Iraqi Government as an ally of the Iraqi Government as an ally of the us. You have an agreement with each other, they work together, fighting isis together. They have been working together so if the Iraqi Government beyond what happened today, there is a Legal Process that will need to be involved, the us troops have a decision if they decide to stay, they certainly can, but if they decide but what you hear more and more is that they are here illegally and this is the kind of language and rhetoric you are already starting to hear from camps rhetoric you are already starting to hearfrom camps in iraq who are anti american and closer to iran. How difficult a line does the Iraqi Government has to tread to try to maintain relationships with iran, its neighbour, but also to keep the us on side in a different type of relationship . The Iraqi Government has, for a long time, walked on a very thin line. Somehow it is a government that is very close to both the us and iran. 0ver government that is very close to both the us and iran. Over the last few years, both the us and iran. Over the last few yea rs, i both the us and iran. Over the last few years, i think what weve seen is change where there once was a question, is the Iraqi Government going to move towards the us or iran . The us has lost considerable leverage and relationships with the Iraqi Government. Keep in mind there was a time the us president used to ona was a time the us president used to on a weekly basis speak to the iraqi Prime Minister. The Trump Administration refused to fly the Prime Minister to washington, dc for
a meeting so it has moved further towards iran but it has maintain some relationship with the us. The Iraqi Government is under considerable pressure now, there are many people wanting to see what type of retaliation there will be and, as i say, those voices that used to demand americans leave were very low voices. They became. Weve been hearing over the last 48 hours just how influential Qasem Soleimani had been across the middle east in many ways and how many deaths he was responsible for ultimately. Without him in the picture, how could the relationships across the region change . There was certainly a cult of personality but at the same time, the iranians, the guards that are responsible for the regional policy, a strong organisation. Although he
was the head and since 2014 since the fight against isis, people started to see images of him and there was this symbolism of him, it will continue to function, they had lost a n will continue to function, they had lost an important strategist but they have many more strategists and this is just they have many more strategists and this isjust one man they have many more strategists and this is just one man who they have many more strategists and this isjust one man who has gone but certainly the significance would bea but certainly the significance would be a much bigger involvement in iran. The debate is, can iran pursue some of the threats that it has been doing . Because it is not clear the extent to which iran has been overstretched into syria, into lebanon, into iraq and where you are beginning to see the fight against iran in many of these countries, it remains to be seen the extent to which removing the head but one individual would have repercussions for where that organisation stands in any case. And well find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrows front pages at 10 30
and 11 30 this evening in the papers. Our guests joining me tonight are the journalist and broadcaster caroline frost and the parliamentary journalist tony grew. The headlines on bbc news the remains of the iranian general assasinated by the us on iraqi soil are returned as hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets to mourn him. Donald trump warns that america has a list of 52 targets, that will be hit very hard, if iran decides to retaliate. The australian Prime Minister warns that the bushfire emergency could last for months and announces the creation of a Recovery Agency, to help those whove lost homes. Australias Prime Minister has warned that the bushfires e