UK MPs fancy Iran aid; want it halted

30 December 2012 | 21:50 Code : 1910964 Latest Headlines

An influential group of British MPs has implicitly claimed Britain has been aiding Iran in its drug trafficking bid and such aids should be stopped. This is while no such aid exists.

The House of Commons’ Home Affairs Select Committee has called on the government to stop financial aids to anti-drug trafficking initiatives in countries where capital punishment is administered, including Iran, over concerns that drug-traffickers could be executed for their crimes, The Guardian reported.

"The government should not turn a blind eye to capital punishment and other human rights abuses affecting those involved in the drugs trade,” the committee said.

"In particular, we recommend that the government ensure that no British or European funding is used to support practices that could lead to capital punishment, torture or other violations,” it added.

Death penalty is administered in Iran, along with 21 other countries including the United States, where the punishment can be administered for cases of high level drug trafficking.

While high level drug trafficking is also punishable by Capital punishment in Iran, official figures from Britain’s Department for International Development, Iran was not one of the 36 countries that received aid from Britain in 2012, nor was it an aid-claimant earlier.

Iran has also not received any loans from the World Bank, where Britain is a small contributor, since June 2009 based on World Bank website’s “Country at a Glance” section for Iran.