UK to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organisation

A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in front of a banner of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Photograph: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in front of a banner of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Photograph: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Shutterstock UK to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organisation Home Office announces ban on support for Iranian military group in escalation of diplomatic tensions with Tehran The UK will list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, ministers have announced, in a major escalation of the diplomatic tensions with Tehran. The Home Office said on Monday it would ban support for the IRGC, a central branch of the Iranian military, after years of political division over the issue . The move is equivalent to proscription, though not legally identical. Ministers are also set to outlaw the the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR), which has been blamed for a series of attacks on Jewish targets in the UK, and the Russian Federation Volunteer Corps (GRU), an international branch of Russian military intelligence. The Home Office said in a statement: “Having carefully considered all the evidence, the home secretary has concluded that there is sufficient basis to reasonably believe that each of these bodies is engaged in foreign power threat activity, and that each designation is necessary to protect the safety and interests of the United Kingdom.” The government said it was proscribing the IRGC after a number of threats on UK soil, including a plot to assassinate two Iran International television journalists, as well a cyber-attacks on British targets. The move overturns the previous decision by the Conservatives not to ban the organisation, and will make it a criminal offence to support it in any way. skip past newsletter promotion after newsletter promotion It is also likely to lead to a further cooling of relations with the Iranian government amid the conflict between Iran and the US. Officials have previously warned that proscribing the IRGC would be likely to lead to the expulsion of the UK ambassador to Tehran. Explore more on these topics Counter-terrorism policy Iran UK security and counter-terrorism Middle East and north Africa news Share Reuse this content