AS he sets off on his vital mission to Iran, Blackburn's MP gives a personal account of how he is coping with the biggest challenge of his political career

Jack Straw was in a meeting discussing security issues with Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon in his office close to the House of Commons when an aide came in with the grim news on that fateful Tuesday almost two weeks ago.

The Foreign Secretary said: "I was sitting talking to Geoff in my room at the Foreign Office about unrelated matters when someone came in and told me.

"We turned on the TV and initially we thought it was some ghastly accident.

"Then we saw the plane hit the second tower of the World Trade Centre.

"We saw it turn and realised it was a much more serious problem.

"We felt numb as we realised it was more ghastly than we thought it was.

"We spoke to people and then contacted the Prime Minister who was in Brighton for the TUC conference.

"We saw him on the TV when he replaced his speech with a short, grim statement.

"He came straight back to London and I went into a meeting with Tony Blair, Geoff Hoon and security advisers.

"We tried to assess the situation and then there was a series of meetings.

"I and close advisers ended up eating pizza in my office after midnight. The first day of a crisis is always the worst but they have been long days ever since.

"I tried to exercise, stay fit and get enough sleep. I am still going to the gym and jogging. I am getting up about 6am and working until around midnight.

"It's important to stay alert. It's a great responsibility. The public expects senior ministers to make judgements in a crisis like this and this is what we are trying to do."

It's clear, despite his refusal to discuss his family, that his wife, senior civil servant Alice, and his two children William and Charlotte are now seeing little of their father and are clearly worried about him.

He acknowledges that his trip to Iran, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Egypt is fraught with danger.

But even with the possibility of military action breaking out while he is in the Middle East tinderbox, he refuses to give in to fear.

He said: "I have very good people that look after my security. I trust what they do and I am sure that I will be all right."

Even so, there is a certain apprehension in his voice as there is when he discusses the enormity of the task he faces.

Mr Straw said: "It's a very serious responsibility. I have been Foreign Secretary for just 14 weeks.

"But I do feel that I have the experience to do the job, both in terms of my general political experience and my time as Home Secretary.

"As Home Secretary you have to face a series of crises, some of them very serious ones such as the Afghan hijacking. You learn a lot about international terrorism as well.

"Much of my job involved looking at assessments of both domestic and international terrorists. It was a good training ground.

"The Foreign Office is an extremely well-run operation. People here are very experienced and know what they are talking about.

"My predecessor Robin Cook, who is a close friend of mine, was very helpful when I got the job and I have spoken to him several times since the crisis started, including at Cabinet."

Mr Straw has little doubt that the people of Britain expect much from the Prime Minister, himself and his fellow ministers.

He is determined that the right decisions will be taken in concert with the United States.

Although he has not spoken to US President George Bush since the crisis started, he met him in June and has formed a close relationship with his own counterpart, US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Mr Straw said: "What people expect of their leaders and politicians is good judgement. What we are trying to do is make the right judgement and we are working very closely with the United States.

"The Prime Minister speaks regularly, head of state to head of state, with President Bush.

"I speak regularly to Colin Powell, who is an excellent man. Britain has a key role in the decisions to be taken.

"We are talking regularly to the United States and to our other allies to try and make good judgements.

"It's a big challenge but it is something that we have got to do. I think the British people support what we are doing and want to see some response to the terrorist outrages.

"I was back in Blackburn on Friday and Saturday last week and found the views of people there very similar to the rest of the British people.

"They want to see something done about international terrorism and they want the right decisions taken.

"That's what we are trying to do. While I was there I also spoke to several leaders of the Muslim community in the town and I speak to them regularly.

"They share the same feelings of horror and outrage at the atrocities that the rest of us do.

"The Prime Minister and I have made clear that it is a war against terrorism, not Islam, and this terrorism has nothing to do with Islam.

"I have represented Blackburn for 22 years and been associated with it for 25.

"There are 25,000 Muslims in Blackburn. I know many of them well and I know their views and they do not support this sort of terrorism.

"It's very important that we get this right and that we keep an international coalition together.

"That's why I am going to the Middle East to talk to people who share those views.

"I am the first Foreign Secretary to go to Iran since the revolution and they have suffered most at the hands of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"This was an attack not just on the US and the people of the US but on the whole of the civilised world including the Middle East.

"There has to be a response and it has to be appropriate. If we do nothing it will only increase the dangers and the next time the terrorist atrocities will be even worse."

Asked if Britain was acting as a restraining hand on US retaliation, Mr Straw was appropriately diplomatic for a Foreign Secretary.

He said: "We have a key role in what happens but we are in close talks all the time with the US and the allies about what the response is."

But as he heads out to one of the most dangerous areas of the world at one of the most dangerous times in recent history, there must be a knot of apprehension in his stomach.

He might appreciate the responsibility and relish the challenge of being Foreign Secretary in the midst of the biggest international crisis since the Cuban missile crisis in 1963.

However, he must hope that any US response is delayed and moderate while he is in the Middle East.

For if not, regardless of his position in the British government and the security surrounding him, he could easily become one of the latest victims of the crisis that started in New York.