To gasps from the gallery, Blair said we should be proud of the war

His voice was hoarse from six hours of questioning. But still he was unrepentant. To gasps of anger from grieving relatives Tony Blair used the final moments of his evidence to the Iraq war inquiry to justify leading Britain in one of the country's most divisive conflicts in its history. Asked by the inquiry chairman, Sir John Chilcot, whether he had any regrets, he replied: "Responsibility but not a regret for removing Saddam Hussein. I think that he was a monster. I believe he threatened not just the region but the world. And in the circumstances that we faced then, but I think even if you look back now, it was better to deal with this threat, to remove him from office." Sir John appealed for calm as a heckler shouted: "What, no regrets? Come on!" His voice fading, Mr Blair insisted that Britain – especially its armed forces – should feel an "immense sense of pride" over the Iraq war. WSWS: Tony Blair, war criminal, testifies before inquiry. The Guardian: Blair at Chilcot: a well-rehearsed performance. Daily Telegraph: Iraq inquiry: Tony Blair had no regrets over toppling Saddam Hussein. TimesOnline: Tony Blair was branded a murderer and liar but unrepentant, unforgiven, Blair says: ‘I’d do it again’. PressTV: Tony Blair defends war legacy, cites 9/11. AntiWar: Blair Defends Iraq War, Citing 9/11. Redress: The Chilcot Inquiry showcases the conspirators. AWIP/New Statesman: The bulletproof case against Blair. BBC: BBC website readers air their views on Tony Blair and the war in Iraq and the consensus seems to be that he should be tried for war crimes. The Independent: Mother of British soldier killed in Iraq felt 'sick' being in same room as Tony Blair. Time.com: Unbowed on Iraq, Blair Makes the Case for Targeting Iran: An inquiry panel of career diplomats and academics was never likely to dent his composure. Yet Blair's light grilling still produced a major eye opener: as opponents of the Iraq conflict waited in vain for an apology or some gratifying symptom of inner regret, Blair instead used the platform to argue for opening a new battlefront — against Iran. The Guardian: Blair: truth and lies.