§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the export of arms to Iran. [86615]
§ Mr. Tony LloydThere has been no change to current policy, as set out in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. King) on 28 January 1998,Official Report, columns 273–74.
354WFurther to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Liz Blackman) on 25 March 1999, Official Report, column 343, my Department and the Ministry of Defence have approved the issue of a licence by the Department of Trade and Industry, as an exception to our embargo on Iran, for the export of 1,020 bullet proof vests to the United Nations Drug Control Programme to equip Iranian frontier personnel. The bullet proof vests will enhance the capacity of Iran's frontier personnel to combat drug trafficking and reduce the sad toll of casualties which they have borne in the past 20 years.