LONDON — Opposition politicians are needling British leader David Cameron for telling a town hall audience that Iran has a nuclear weapon.

The prime minister’s slip-up came during a torrid “PM Direct” in Brighton where he was speaking about Turkish accession to the European Union before a crowd of local residents on Thursday.
Cameron said Turkey would be ""a very good political influence for us"" because the country ""can help us solve some of the world's problems like the Middle East peace process and the fact that Iran has got a nuclear weapon.""
Labour said the mistake, made in a “Cameron Direct” event with public sector workers, showed the prime minister was becoming a “foreign policy klutz”. “This is less of a hiccup, more of a dangerous habit,” said Chris Bryant, shadow Europe minister.
“Considering Iran’s nuclear ambitions constitute one of the most important foreign policy challenges facing us all, it is not just downright embarrassing that the prime minister has made this basic mistake, it’s dangerous,” he added.
The slip of the tongue on Iran will provide further ammunition to critics who argue his plain-spoken approach to statesmanship is inadvertently distorting Britain’s diplomatic relations. Downing Street said Cameron “misspoke” and said he was referring to Iran’s nuclear program.
During his speech, Cameron was accused by a pensioner of “denigrating” his country by suggesting that Britain was the junior partner of the U.S. against the Nazis in 1940s. America did not enter the war until 1941.
----Zardari, Cameron discuss ties
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met with Cameron on Friday for informal talks to put aside a week of rising diplomatic tensions.
Cameron’s frank criticisms of Pakistan “looking both ways” on terrorism made during Thursday’s informal dinner for the Pakistani delegation – which included Zardari’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – the most difficult diplomatic encounter of his premiership.
However, the two leaders seemed to be in a reconciliatory mood Friday. Zardari declared the bilateral ties between the two countries “unbreakable” while Cameron said he recognized the “sacrifices” made by Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
While Cameron is standing by his strong public criticisms of Pakistan, which are privately accepted to be true in the U.S. and Whitehall, the strength of the comments Cameron made in India took British diplomats by surprise and has put serious strain on relations with Islamabad.
The row came after military documents published by the Wikileaks website suggested Pakistan’s main intelligence agency, the Inter Services Intelligence, secretly aided the Taliban and other military groups that NATO forces are trying to defeat in Afghanistan.
Analysts believe Mr Cameron’s comments on Pakistan’s alleged tolerance of some terrorist groups has triggered a debate on a vital security issue, which is critical to counter-terrorism efforts in the UK and Britain’s exit from Afghanistan.
Amid accusations of Mr Zardari enjoying a “lavish” tour around Europe, the president issued a statement saying he stayed at “the cheapest five-star hotel in central London”. Nawaz Sharif, the main opposition leader, said: “We have been let down very badly by Mr Zardari.”
Bhutto Zardari had been expected to appear with his father at a Pakistan People’s party rally in Birmingham on Saturday but has withdrawn in an apparent attempt to defuse accusations that the family was neglecting the flood crisis to launch his own political career. He said he would instead begin a collection to help repair the damage caused by the floods.
Photo: David Cameron had a torrid time at his latest PM Direct. (Photo: Reuters