Humza Yousaf warns UK 'may be dragged into war in the Middle East… based on dodgy intel’

24 June 2025, 16:08 | Updated: 24 June 2025, 17:10

A former First Minister of Scotland has told LBC News the UK could be "dragged into another war in the Middle East" based on 'dodgy intelligence and misinformation', drawing comparisons with the Iraq War.

Humza Yousaf warned against the prospect of Britain entering the war between Israel and Iran, urging world leaders to let "diplomacy and dialogue to lead the way."

He said Britain could be 'dragged into' the war based on misinformation, referring to claims made by Israel and the US that Iran is on the verge of creating a nuclear weapon.

Yousaf told LBC News' Steve Holden: "Some of the dodgy intelligence, some of the misinformation that's being spouted in the run up to the airstrikes in Iran are hauntingly reminiscent of what we were told in 2003 in the run up to the Iraq war, where of course, Scottish sons and daughters, part of the British armed forces, were then sent to war.

"Many of them unfortunately died, including of course, some Scottish troops, as well as troops from right across the United Kingdom.

"So there's real concern that the United Kingdom, based on dodgy intelligence, based on misinformation, may well be dragged into another war in the Middle East. And I think that's the last thing any of us want."

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Iran had been engaged in talks with the US over its nuclear programme, and was due to have another round of negotiations when Israel launched its surprise attacks on the country.

Israeli PM Netanyahu justified the attacks by claiming that "If not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time" - a claim that has been repeated by US President Donald Trump.

But recent intelligence assessments - including from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - found no evidence that Iran was making a weapon, though the agency warned that Tehran was enriching more uranium than necessary for civilian use.

"Iran should be complying with IAEA inspections. Iran should have no reason to be enriching as much uranium as it has been doing," the SNP MSP said.

He added: "The question we've got here is, were those strikes legal? I think most international consensus is they were not because there was not an imminent threat. And the International Atomic Energy Agency have said there was no credible evidence of a structured nuclear programme."

"There was no imminent threat," the former leader of the SNP said, adding: "The very nuclear watchdog you've spoken about, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has said in the latest report, paragraph 79, feel free to open it yourself: There's no credible evidence of a structured nuclear weapons programme.

"So look, you and I are in agreement. Iran should not be enriching as much uranium as it has been and I can see no civilian purpose in doing so. We're also in agreement that they should be complying with IAEA inspections.

"That does not give any country, be it Israel, the United States or any other country, the permission and certainly not the legality, but to violate another country's sovereignty."

While the UK has so far not been involved in the war, the US' attack on Iranian nuclear sites last week has raised questions that, as America's closest ally, Britain might get involved too.

The UK has many military and strategic assets in the region, and UK spy planes have conducted numerous surveillance missions to help the IDF with its operations in Gaza.

Tehran has repeatedly warned that any country deemed to be helping Israel in their attacks against Iran would also be targeted - as evidenced by Iran's strikes on the US military base at Al-Udeid in Qatar yesterday.

But Mr Yousaf urged the UK and other nations to "have diplomacy and dialogue, not bombs and ballistics pave the way forward," in trying to achieve an end to the war.

"I think the plea from all of us political leaders from across the world should be to get around the table, get an agreement which absolutely caps Iran's ability to enrich uranium, and then allows Iran to be brought back into the fold out of isolation if it complies with those inspection regimes," he said.