Boris Johnson's Saudi-Iran proxy war comment ‘not government policy’
Theresa May steps in quickly to correct Britian’s foreign secretary after his latest diplomatic bungle
London — British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was not setting out government policy when he said Saudi Arabia and Iran were stoking proxy wars across the Middle East, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday. Johnson, known for his tendency to go off-script, told an audience in Rome last week that the absence of real leadership in the Middle East had allowed people to twist religion and stoke proxy wars. It is the latest in a series of gaffes to plague the foreign minister, who even May has jokingly said is hard to keep "on message for a full four days". He has been criticised by some EU officials for using less-than-diplomatic language in talks on Britain’s decision to leave the bloc. May’s quick response underlines the importance of Britain’s alliance with Saudi Arabia, which is a major customer for British defence companies. "You’ve got the Saudis, Iran, everybody, moving in, and puppeteering and playing proxy wars. And it is a tragedy to watch it," Johnso...
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