Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been labeled as a terrorist organization by Keir Starmer, who stated that the powerful military group will be classified as a national security threat, potentially resulting in life imprisonment for its members. This designation falls under a new state threats power, with other bodies like the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right and Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps also being included.
If Parliament approves this move later this week, individuals engaging in acts of sabotage, including arson, on behalf of these organizations could face severe penalties such as life imprisonment. The Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks targeting Jewish and Israeli communities in the UK, including the antisemitic arson incident involving four Hatzola ambulances in north London.
The Home Office has indicated that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force members likely orchestrated these attacks in Europe through the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has expressed a reasonable belief that the IRGC has been involved in foreign power threat activities, as stated in a written ministerial declaration by security minister Angela Eagle.
Eagle’s statement emphasized that for an entity to be designated, the Home Secretary must reasonably believe it has engaged in foreign power threat activities and consider the designation necessary to safeguard the United Kingdom’s safety and interests. After a thorough review of evidence and consultation with various government and operational partners, the Home Secretary has determined that the statutory criteria are met for designating these three entities.