David Cameron, the defence industry and the Gulf: just don't mention Iran

As David Cameron continues his Middle East tour, some newspapers are excited about the fact that some of the business people on his plane are from the defence industry. Labour too has questioned the timing of the PM's decision to promote the industry (one of Britain's biggest) in the volatile region.

So it's worth reflecting on the PM's fairly robust defence of defence sales.

Asked yesterday about the issue, Mr Cameron said:

"It's a good thing to take strong business delegations.
We do have a strong defence relationships with countries in the region. The idea that we shouldn't have defence relationships, I don't understand.

"You can't expect every country in the world to provide for its own defence. Therefore it's perfectly logical and sensible that there is a trade in defence."

This morning, the PM is in Kuwait, marking the 20th anniversary of the first Gulf War. He thinks that the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait shows why arming Gulf states can be a righteous cause. Implicit in that argument is the fact that some of the states who now buy defence kit from Britain fear they may one day have to use it against Iran.

But so far, the PM isn't making that connection explicitly: he says he doesn't want to overstate Iran's importance and talk up its nuclear ambitions. But whether he not he talks about it, Tehran is casting its shadow over Mr Cameron's visit.