UK must sanction Iran over Salman Rushdie sting, says Rishi Sunak

British prime minister and Conservative leader candidate Rishi Sunak has called for sanctions against Iran over the murder of author Salman Rushdie in the United States.

Rushdie, who received death threats over his book The Satanic Verses, was stabbed Friday on stage in western New York. Many world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, condemned the incident.

“If the attack on Salman Rushdie is an operation by Iran, it shows our power… If the attackers do it under Iranian influence, it will prove the success of our Islamic revolution.” I will prove it,” Rishi was quoted as saying. Telegram newspaper.

Rushdie, 75, rose to prominence in 1981 with the novel Midnight’s Children. The Indian-born author won the Booker Prize for a novel that has also been adapted for the stage.

However, his 1988 book, The Satanic Verses, led to a fatwa (religious edict) by Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini at the time. The threat forced him into hiding for several years.

While pointing to the dire situation in Iran, Sunak warned that attempts to revive the Iranian nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are potentially futile.

He said a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an existential threat to its ally Israel, and indeed endanger entire Europe with its ballistic missile capabilities.

“A new, tougher deal and tougher sanctions are urgently needed, and if they don’t deliver results, we should start asking if the JCPOA is at a dead end. Salman Rushdie’s brutal stabbing is a wake-up call.” For the West, Iran’s response to the attack strengthens its argument to ban the IRGC.”

Salman Rushdie was taken off a ventilator on Saturday and was able to speak, a day after he was stabbed while giving a talk in western New York.

According to The Washington Post, Rushdie’s agent, Andrew Wiley, confirmed that Rushdie was off the ventilator and could speak, but did not provide further details.

Hadi Matar, who was accused of stabbing Rushdie, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in a New York court.

(Only the headlines and photos in this report may have been modified by Business Standard staff. The rest of the content is auto-generated from syndicated feeds.)

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