Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been officially labelled a threat to national security under new state threat powers, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday. Members of the IRGC could face up to life imprisonment as a result of the designation.
Three Groups Designated Under New Powers
The government is laying draft regulations before Parliament to designate the IRGC, along with two other groups: the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Volunteer Corps. Ministers will need parliamentary approval to finalise the designations.
Speaking to members of the Jewish community in the garden of Downing Street, Sir Keir said the IRGC has a "long history of using proxies and criminal networks to target people in the UK." He added that the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right had claimed responsibility for a spate of arson attacks against the Jewish community.
PM's Remarks at Downing Street Event
The Prime Minister, whose No 10 guests included Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, said: "A criminal group called the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right have publicly claimed seven attacks at UK locations linked to Jewish and Israeli communities, and sitting behind them were members of Iran's IRGC."
"Of course, the IRGC itself has a long history of using proxies and criminal networks to target people in the UK, including our Jewish communities. So today, under our new state threat powers, we’re designating this criminal group, the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, and we’re designating the IRGC."
Home Secretary's Statement
Home Office minister Angela Eagle said in a written statement that the Home Secretary is satisfied the statutory test is met for all three bodies. She described the IRGC as "a central component of the Iranian state’s security apparatus, answerable directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader."
"Its role extends far beyond that of a conventional military force. It encompasses intelligence activity, the use of proxy actors, and the projection of influence designed to advance Iranian state objectives," Eagle added.
