Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in the House of Commons. Image@PA Media
The United Kingdom is set to introduce sweeping national security measures targeting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), making any form of backing for the organisation a serious criminal offence.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that the IRGC will be formally classified as a national security threat under new powers contained in the National Security (State Threats) Act.
Once Parliament approves the regulations, individuals found promoting, assisting or working on behalf of the organisation could face prison terms of up to 14 years.
The government is also placing two additional organisations under the same restrictions: the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR) and a volunteer unit linked to Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU).
The legislation expands the authority of police and intelligence agencies to investigate and prosecute offences involving espionage, sabotage, foreign interference and other hostile activities connected to foreign states.
Those convicted of carrying out destructive acts, including arson, for any of the designated groups could receive life sentences.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the government was determined to prevent hostile governments from using Britain as a base to intimidate, threaten or harm people.
He noted that the strengthened legal framework would simplify prosecutions against individuals acting on behalf of foreign regimes.
Mahmood said Tehran and Moscow increasingly rely on proxy networks to carry out operations inside the UK, stressing that the new designation would enable authorities to identify, arrest and prosecute those involved more effectively.
The revised legislation also removes the requirement for prosecutors to prove a direct connection to a foreign government in every case, a move intended to speed up investigations and improve conviction rates.
According to Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, at least 20 suspected Iranian-backed plots posing serious risks to lives in the UK were uncovered over the past year.
Several of the alleged operations were reportedly directed at Jewish and Israeli-linked sites, as well as Iranian opposition figures living in Britain.
Created in the aftermath of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the IRGC has grown into one of the country’s most influential institutions, overseeing military, intelligence and overseas operations while reporting directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader.
The force is estimated to have around 190,000 active personnel.
Western governments have repeatedly accused the organisation of supporting militant activities beyond Iran’s borders.
Australia, Canada and the United States already classify the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, while the European Union added it to its terrorism list earlier this year following allegations of its involvement in the suppression of anti-government demonstrations in Iran.
Home Office Minister Angela Eagle said the IRGC functions as far more than a conventional armed force, describing it as a key instrument of the Iranian state that combines intelligence gathering, proxy operations and strategic influence to advance Tehran’s interests abroad.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong