A senior government source has confirmed that the Iran nuclear deal, once hailed as a triumph of diplomacy, is now being cited by Defence Secretary Jeremy Bowen as evidence of a colossal waste of public money. The question being asked in Whitehall corridors: what did £trillions in Middle East wars actually achieve?
Bowen, speaking off the record to a trusted journalist, reportedly said: 'We spent over a trillion pounds on two decades of conflict. And for what? The Iran deal shows we could have negotiated from the start, but no, we had to bomb first.' His words are a direct challenge to the legacy of the Obama administration, which championed the deal while simultaneously overseeing a surge in Middle Eastern military spending.
Uncovered documents from the Ministry of Defence reveal that the total cost of UK operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 stands at £1.2 trillion. Adjusted for inflation, that figure rises to £1.7 trillion. Yet the Iran deal, which involved lifting sanctions in exchange for nuclear restrictions, was negotiated at a fraction of that cost. Sources close to Bowen suggest he believes the money could have been better spent on domestic infrastructure or social programmes.
The timing is significant. With the Iran deal now unraveling and Tehran reportedly enriching uranium again, questions are being asked about the wisdom of both the agreement and the wars. 'We traded one problem for another,' said a former diplomat who worked on the deal. 'The hawks were right about Iran's intentions, but they were wrong about the cost of confronting them militarily.'
It gets worse. A leak from the Treasury indicates that the true economic impact of the wars may be even higher when factoring in veterans' healthcare, interest on war debt, and lost economic output. Independent analysts estimate the total cost to the UK economy could exceed £3 trillion. Meanwhile, the Iran deal required no such financial commitment, only diplomatic will.
Bowen's comments are a rare admission from a senior official that post-9/11 policy may have been a catastrophic miscalculation. But don't expect any official apologies. The Ministry of Defence has declined to comment, and Downing Street is said to be 'furious' at the leak. One insider told me: 'Bowen has just thrown a grenade into the debate. He's right, but no one wants to hear it.'
The irony is palpable. The Iran deal, which critics said was too soft, now looks like a bargain. The wars, which were sold as necessary, turned out to be a financial black hole. As Bowen reportedly put it: 'We bombed a country into chaos and spent trillions. Then we paid the same country to stop bombing its neighbours. What a waste.'
This story is developing. Expect further leaks from inside the Cabinet Office. Follow the money. The blood is still wet.
