The UK government has formally proscribed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), citing threats to life and intimidation carried out on British soil, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has confirmed. The move, made possible by newly fast-tracked legislation, makes the IRGC the first state military organisation to be designated under the UK’s new foreign influence powers.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed the designation in a written statement to Parliament, saying the UK has “identified activity linked to the IRGC involving threats to life and intimidation on UK soil”. The announcement follows the government’s decision to fast-track the National Security (State Threats) Act, a move Prime Minister Keir Starmer had promised back in April. Alongside the IRGC, ministers also designated the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR), an Iran-linked group blamed for a spate of attacks on Britain’s Jewish community, as well as the volunteer corps of Russia’s foreign military intelligence agency, the GRU.
A significant expansion of UK powers
The designation marks a notable shift in how Britain confronts hostile state activity, with the IRGC becoming the first state military organisation to fall under the country’s new foreign influence legislation. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the decision sends a clear signal that the UK will not tolerate foreign organisations engaged in intimidation, coercion or threats against people living in Britain.
Under the new law, it is now a criminal offence to invite or express support for any of the newly designated groups, to assist them in carrying out UK-related activities, or to accept or retain any material benefit provided by or on their behalf. Ministers have said the intention is to disrupt individuals who promote the interests and objectives of these organisations. Anyone found to have breached the legislation could face up to 14 years in prison, a fine, or both.
Years of alleged plots on British soil
The designation comes after repeated accusations from the UK government that Iran has backed plots against journalists, dissidents and Jewish organisations in Britain, with security services stating that numerous Iranian-linked threats have been disrupted in recent years. MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum has previously disclosed that the security service and police have responded to more than 20 Iran-backed plots since 2022 involving alleged kidnapping or assassination attempts against individuals in the UK.
The new designation hands police and prosecutors additional powers to investigate and disrupt individuals or organisations suspected of supporting IRGC activity in Britain, even in cases where direct membership cannot be proven. The UK has already sanctioned numerous senior IRGC commanders and Iranian officials, freezing assets and imposing travel bans over allegations of human rights abuses and hostile activity.
Pressure had been building for months
The decision follows sustained pressure from MPs and peers across party lines, who have repeatedly called for tougher restrictions on the IRGC over its alleged role in terrorism, regional conflicts and plots targeting critics of the Iranian regime who live overseas.
Other developments in Westminster
The proscription news emerged alongside other significant developments in government. Sir Olly Robbins has launched a legal challenge over his dismissal by the Prime Minister, while the Home Secretary is separately expected to set out plans today to amend a 1971 law that has been preventing the deportation of a Pakistan-born grooming gang leader.
