UK to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a ‘terrorist’ group

Britain will officially proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” group, according to a report on Monday in the Telegraph.

The move will be announced in the coming weeks and has the backing of security minister Tom Tugendhat and Home Secretary Suella Braverman. The report noted that it will also underscore a hardening of London’s policy towards Tehran and may further complicate efforts to curb the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions, with talks currently stalled.

By designating the IRGC as a terrorist group, it will become a criminal offence in Britain to belong to the IRGC, attend its meetings, carry its logo in public or encourage support of its activities. The IRGC is the dominant branch of Iran’s armed forces.

READ: Iran accuses UK and Germany of involvement in Soleimani assassination

“Iran projects threat to the UK directly through its aggressive intelligence services,” said MI5 Director General Ken McCallum in November. “At its sharpest, this includes ambitions to kidnap or even kill British or UK-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime.” The head of the domestic intelligence agency added that Britain has seen “at least 10” such potential threats since January 2022.

Last month, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly reiterated that the IRGC has been sanctioned “in its entirety”.

Britain will be following the US in this matter. Former President Donald Trump designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation in April 2019. In November, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that the IRGC is a “terrorist entity” under Canadian law. One of its wings, the Quds Force, was already designated as such.

READ: Iran judiciary indicts two France nationals and Belgian for espionage