A US-LED war with Iran could be a bigger blow to the Middle East than the invasion of Iraq, an anti-war campaigner has told the Star.

Stop the War vice-chair Chris Nineham warned ahead of a Downing Street protest jointly held with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) this evening that a conflict with Iran was increasingly closer to becoming reality.

“The threat of war is very real. The sanction regime that has been escalated in the last 24 hours by the US is effectively an act of war as it is leading to the devastation of the Iranian economy,” he said.

“Iran’s oil exports, which it heavily relies on, are down to a tenth. This is having a devastating impact on citizens and is massively increasing tensions and likelihood of it turning into a shooting war.”

US President Donald Trump is the “most volatile and unpredictable” that the country has had in its history, he also said, and war is likely to be on the cards also because Iran is a “well-armed militarised country.”

Mr Nineham added: “If war happens it will be a disaster that would make even Iraq seem a relatively localised war, as it will spread across the region. Many countries globally would also be involved.”

CND general secretary Kate Hudson also warned that a US-led war on Iran seemed imminent and that Mr Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal last year was a “step towards a declaration of war.”

She called for the anti-war movement to “quickly gather pace” to oppose such a conflict and any British involvement.

A Don’t Attack Iran public meeting is scheduled to take place in Portcullis House, Westminster, on July 16.

Ms Hudson, Labour MP Laura Pidcock, Abbas Edalat of Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention, Stop the War convener Lindsey German and journalist Owen Jones are expected to speak.