The Iran War: British Uncertainty vs. French Resolve

CONFLICTED

Message Heard

History, Religion & Spirituality

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to two friends of the show about how Europe is responding to the war with Iran. In the first half, the Rt Hon Tom Tugendhat MP — former chair of the UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee and former UK Security Minister — discusses Britain’s confused response to the conflict, and in the second half, French journalist Wassim Nasr explains France’s position. Sir Tom and Wassim explain: The UK government’s uncertain response to the Iran war What politicians mean when they talk about the ‘legal basis’ for military action The lessons of the Iraq War and whether they are being misunderstood Iran’s role in the insurgency against Western forces in Iraq The debate over designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization in the UK The state of the British military after decades of defence cuts The strategic controversy surrounding Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands France’s historic Arab Policy and its effort to maintain strategic independence in the Middle East France’s military agreements with the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait The E3 framework (France, Germany, UK) and its role in negotiations with Iran Macron’s attempt to expand France’s nuclear deterrent to cover Europe The evolving situation in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s weakening position Intelligence cooperation between France, Israel, and regional partners Whether Europe is entering a new era of strategic independence Follow Sir Tom on X: https://x.com/TomTugendhat Follow Wassim on X: https://x.com/SimNasr Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm Find Conflicted on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod And YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sdlF1mY5t4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. This episode was produced and edited by Thomas Small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Wars are not just fought on the battlefield.
0:09.0	They're fought in cabinet rooms, in intelligence briefings, and in the quiet calculations
0:17.0	of statesmen deciding whether to join the fight or stay out of it.
0:22.6	The war with Iran has forced the British government and the French to confront exactly that question.
0:31.6	To help us understand this dimension of the conflict,
0:36.6	today I'm talking to two great friends of the show.
0:42.9	First, the right Honorable Tom Tugendhat MP, and then the French journalist, Wasim Nasir.
0:51.7	Wasim will join me in the second half of the episode to talk about France.
0:57.0	In the first half, Sir Tom tells me how Britain is grappling with the war,
1:03.0	from the legal arguments shaping the government's response to the deeper questions about strategy,
1:09.0	military preparedness, and what the day after might look like
1:14.1	if the Iranian regime falls. I'm Thomas Small. This is my conflicted conversation with Tom Tugentot.
1:29.0	Hello, Tom. It's so nice to have you back on Conflicted. How are you doing?
1:32.9	Thomas, it's great to see you and with a very finely trimmed beard, if I may say.
1:38.2	Thank you for noticing. They took two inches off the other day, and I feel positively shorn.
1:43.8	You're getting ready for the summer.
1:45.2	That's what it is.
1:46.0	Now, just to make sure all of our dear listeners remember you, I mean, you need no introduction,
1:50.8	I know, but you were the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in Parliament between
1:55.8	2017 and 2022, and then you were security minister between 2022 and 2024. You remain a Tory MP in Parliament.
2:06.7	And so you're really the perfect person to talk to, I think, about first, the UK's response to
2:12.3	the ongoing war in the Middle East. Obviously, you are not in government anymore. Your party is out of power,
	...

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