Boris Johnson’s silence on Soleimani is deafening

Although Whitehall tries not to “do” panic, there is a sense of urgency to its recent attempts to defend British citizens and interests in the Middle East. Three days ago, the royal navy dispatched two warships to the Strait of Hormuz to protect the high volume of shipping that passes through it (although they will scarcely be enough, even with the US navy and others). Travel advice has been made stricter. A squad of logistics experts are being sent to Baghdad to plan an emergency evacuation of British forces and civilians; thousands remain in Iraq alone, risking kidnap, or worse.

Without so much as a cursory phone call, President Trump ordered the assassination of one of Iran’s leaders, and so endangered not only Americans but virtually every westerner. Even if the White House had run the plan past Boris Johnson, however, the truth is that there is little the prime minister could have done to prevent his erratic ally from doing what he has long yearned to: humiliate a historic enemy. Then again, it would at least have given the British government an opportunity to urge calm and prepare for the worst. So much for the special relationship.

Perhaps embarrassed by this, perhaps at a loss for anything to say, the prime minister, after a brief written statement the other evening, has gone quiet. No doubt he will be asked about it at Prime Minister’s Questions – he cannot easily avoid that – but otherwise, it appears he plans to absent himself from this global crisis. This is a dereliction of duty, not because Britain is any longer a player in the region – Colonel Nasser put an end to that some decades ago – but because British citizens are in jeopardy.

The more we understand about General Qassem Soleimani, the more we witness the consequences of his assassination, the more woeful President Trump’s decision seems in hindsight. Mr Trump’s predecessors in the White House, and friends such as Israel, have long understood that Soleimani was responsible for much of the murder and mayhem in the Middle East. However, they judged that, given the likely consequences, killing him was not worth it. Now we see the wisdom of that restraint.

The result of Soleimani’s assassination is that the US and its allies will be forced to withdraw from Iraq. This withdrawal will be the final betrayal of America’s claims about trying to “liberate” the country. Iraq will become an Iranian client state, its minorities persecuted; Iran itself will soon possess its nuclear deterrent. The Iranians and their Russian friends will become even more influential and powerful and, given that Soleimani was fighting them with some success, Isis will receive an unexpected boost.

President Trump will indeed bring the troops home – but in circumstances far from the triumphant vision he promised.