UK proscribes Iran's IRGC
The UK government is moving to proscribe the IRGC and two other groups to tackle Iranian-backed recruitment of criminals and attacks targeting the Jewish community.
UK proscribes Iran's IRGC
The UK government has announced that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will be designated a threat to national security, with those supporting or assisting the group facing up to 14 years in prison. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will use new government powers to ban support for the IRGC, which has been linked to death threats, attacks, and intimidation in the UK.
Two other groups, the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR) and the volunteer corps of Russia's GRU (foreign military intelligence agency), are also being proscribed. The IMCR has claimed responsibility for a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London, and is believed to be backed by the IRGC.
The move is designed to tackle Iranian-backed groups recruiting criminals for acts targeting the Jewish community. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that the IRGC has a "long history of using proxies and criminal networks to target people in the UK", including the Jewish community.
The IRGC was set up after the 1979 revolution to defend Iran's new Islamic system, but has since become a powerful arm of the state with a reach beyond Iran's borders. The militia has consistently been accused by Western nations of sponsoring terrorism abroad, and has been listed as a terror group by Australia, Canada, and the US. In January, the European Union also added the IRGC to its terror list, following its reported role in brutal crackdowns on Iranian protesters.
MI5 has identified at least 20 potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots against people in the UK in the last year, and the IRGC is central to the Iranian state's operations. The group's role extends far beyond that of a conventional military force, encompassing intelligence activity, the use of proxy actors, and the projection of influence designed to advance Iranian state objectives.
The draft regulations to designate the IRGC and other groups will be laid before Parliament, and ministers will need parliamentary approval to make the designations official. If approved, those conducting acts of sabotage on behalf of the groups could face life imprisonment. The change will also make it easier for prosecutors to build cases, as they will no longer need to establish a foreign power connection in every case.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Iran and Russia are using proxies and thugs to do their dirty work on our shores. I have rapidly designated three groups so those working for them will be tracked down and put behind bars."
