War With Tehran Will Fail, Former British Military Chief: It's Not In Iran's Interest To Be Like North Korea

British Chief of Staff General Sir Nick Carter. (Source: www.gov.uk)

JAKARTA - Former Commander of the British Army (AD) Sir Nicholas Patrick Carter said, familiarly called Nick Carter, launched a war against Iran because its controversial nuclear program would be a constitutional failure.

While military options should be in the background as a means of deterrence during diplomatic talks, the use of force against Iran should be avoided, retired General Sir Nick Carter said in an exclusive interview with The National, two months after retiring as chief of defense staff.

"What needs to happen here is, diplomats need to go around the table and an agreement needs to be reached. We don't want to see military instruments being used. It will fail," he was quoted as saying on January 12.

Negotiations between Iran and major Western powers, as well as China and Russia, resumed in November. There is cautious optimism that a deal can be reached.

General Sir Nick Carter in Afghanistan. (Wikimedia Commons/Spc. Vang Seng Thao)

The Vienna talks are aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, which offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

In 2018, US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from talks and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran. In response, Tehran abandoned its commitments.

Recently, there has been a shift in Israel's position from opposing the deal. Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Israel could back a deal seen as offering a check on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes.

Asked if Iran could play games in Vienna while developing nuclear weapons, he said it was in no one's interest, including Iran and its close trading partners in the region such as China, to move towards a military confrontation.

General Sir Nick Carter while serving as Commander of ISAF Southern Regional Command. (Wikimedia Commons/Lance Cpl. Dwight A. Henderson)

"They don't want the region to be turned upside down. My view is, this will be controlled, because in the end, it is not in Iran's interest to be a paria like North Korea," said General Sir Nick Carter.

Asked if Britain had taken part in drills against Iran's mock nuclear installations, he said, "No," he insisted.

To note, General Sir Nick Carter joined the army in 1977. He served in Germany during the Cold War, Northern Ireland Conflict, UN Forces in Cyprus, and led battalion operations in Bosnia and Kosovo.

In Iraq, he served as a brigade commander from 2003 to 2004. While on duty in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2013, he was entrusted with commanding 55,000 NATO troops.

Prior to his retirement, he served as chief commander of the British Armed Forces, as well as senior military adviser to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State.