A wave of political pressure on the U.K. government intensified on Friday, as more than 550 parliamentarians from across the political spectrum called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be designated a terrorist organization, according to a Jewish Chronicle report on Monday.
The renewed push follows the arrest and charging of three Iranian nationals in London under the National Security Act for allegedly spying on behalf of Iran and plotting violence against journalists.
The charged individuals—Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 56—were arrested during coordinated anti-terrorism operations on May 3 and formally charged later in the week.
Prosecutors allege the men entered the United Kingdom as asylum seekers and conducted surveillance on behalf of Iran’s intelligence service, specifically targeting journalists from Iran International, a U.K.-based Persian-language media outlet critical of the regime in Tehran.
The allegations have reignited calls from within Parliament to formally outlaw the IRGC, widely regarded as the ideological and military backbone of Iran’s theocratic regime. Although the ruling Labour Party had pledged to proscribe the IRGC while in opposition, the government has so far stopped short of taking that step, citing legal and diplomatic complexities.
Tory MP Bob Blackman, who helped coordinate the cross-party letter, warned: “Iranian terrorism has reached our soil. A serious terrorist plot, involving several Iranians, was recently thwarted in the UK.” He added, “It’s time to set aside political hesitation. The IRGC must be proscribed as a terrorist entity—this move is long overdue.”
The letter, endorsed by former party leaders Lord Neil Kinnock of Labour, Sir Iain Duncan Smith of the Conservatives, Tim Farron from the Liberal Democrats and Tory ex-home secretary Suella Braverman, argues that inaction sends a dangerous signal to authoritarian regimes. “Appeasing this faltering regime betrays democratic values,” it reads. “The IRGC should be designated as a terrorist organization.”
The IRGC has long been accused of orchestrating attacks abroad, including assassination plots against Iranian dissidents and exiles. The group is already banned in the United States, but only certain individuals and affiliated entities have been sanctioned in the United Kingdom.
A government spokesperson said that while the IRGC is already subject to significant sanctions, “we must strengthen our powers to protect our national security,” pointing to ongoing efforts, including a review by Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.
Meanwhile, The Times has reported that past efforts to proscribe the IRGC have encountered resistance within the Foreign Office, partly due to concerns about maintaining intelligence channels and the legal complications of banning a state-run entity.
Still, pressure is mounting. With growing evidence of Iranian state activity on British soil and bipartisan outrage in Parliament, the U.K. government may soon face a critical decision on whether to follow through on its rhetoric and take formal action against the IRGC.
Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers decried their U.K. counterparts’ stance, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. Ahmad Naderi, a member of Parliament’s presiding board, read out a statement which slammed the move, saying it was orchestrated by “Zionist regime orders.” It also referenced Britain’s “dark history” of meddling in Iranian affairs.