The British government has designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the Iranian regime as a terrorist organization. If the decision receives final approval from the UK Parliament, any membership in the IRGC, participation in its activities or meetings, and even displaying its symbols or insignia in public places will become a criminal offense.
The British government has designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the Iranian regime as a terrorist organization, a decision that, if finally approved by the UK Parliament, will make any membership, activity, participation in its meetings, or even displaying the IRGC’s symbols and insignia in public places a criminal offense.
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The decision was announced on Monday, July 13, by the UK’s Labour government. In addition to the IRGC, it also includes the group “Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyah,” which the British government considers to be linked to the Iranian regime.
Starmer: We will take action against individuals affiliated with these groups
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announcing the decision, stressed that the IRGC had been designated as a terrorist organization because of threats to life, intimidation, and hostile activities on British soil.
He said the new powers would facilitate the prosecution and imprisonment of individuals operating in the UK on behalf of these groups.
Angela Eagle, the UK’s Minister for Border Security and Asylum, also said in a statement that the British government had identified IRGC-related activities, including threats to life, intimidation, and hostile actions within the UK, and that this decision was made on that basis.
Broader powers for police and security agencies
Under the new regulations, membership in the IRGC, attendance at its gatherings, promoting it, or displaying its insignia in public places will constitute a criminal offense.
British police and intelligence agencies will also receive broader powers to counter the activities and networks affiliated with these groups within the country.
The British government said that “Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyah” has claimed responsibility for several attacks targeting sites associated with Jewish and Israeli communities, as well as Persian-language media outlets, including the burning of four ambulances in March of this year.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi welcomes the British government’s decision
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), welcomed the British government’s decision to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. While describing the decision as overdue, she called it a necessary step toward ensuring peace, stability, and security in the region and around the world.
She also thanked members of the UK House of Commons and House of Lords, particularly members of the British Committees for a Free Iran, for their decades-long efforts to expose the role of the IRGC and to advocate for its designation as a terrorist organization.
Mrs. Rajavi stressed that the Iranian Resistance has from the outset identified the IRGC as the main instrument of domestic repression and the export of crisis and terrorism by the Iranian regime, and has consistently emphasized the need for its designation as a terrorist organization.
Background to London’s decision
The British government’s decision still requires parliamentary approval. However, if finalized, all forms of support, cooperation, or promotion of the IRGC will become illegal in the United Kingdom.
The move follows a series of measures taken by London against activities attributed to the Iranian regime.
Expansion of the list of countries taking action against the IRGC
With this decision, the United Kingdom joins the countries and organizations that have designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization or subjected it to the most severe sanctions. The United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Ukraine, as well as the European Union, have previously implemented extensive measures against the IRGC.
