UK Government to Introduce Legislation Targeting State-Backed Organizations Like Iran's IRGC

Ministers in the UK are planning to introduce new anti-terror powers in the next parliamentary session, allowing the government to ban state threats such as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The measures would enable labeling state-backed groups as terrorist organizations and create new criminal offenses for individuals who support or promote formally listed state-supported threats.

BBC News reported these powers will be included in the government's legislative plans outlined in the King's Speech on 13 May.

The IRGC, established to defend Iran's Islamic system, has become a major military, political and economic force with an estimated tens of thousands of active personnel. Labour MPs have urged the government to ban the IRGC following a series of antisemitic attacks since the war in Iran started.

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, an Islamist group suspected of Iranian links, claimed responsibility for a recent attack on Jewish community ambulances in north London and other incidents in the UK and Europe.

Other European countries and the EU have already added the IRGC to their lists of proscribed terrorist organizations. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated the UK must deal with malign state actors and suggested legislation would be brought forward as quickly as possible. He expressed being very worried about the increasing use of proxies by the Iranian government.

"In relation to malign state actors more generally, we do need legislation in order to take necessary measures and that is legislation we're bringing forward as soon as we can," Starmer said in a video posted by the Jewish Chronicle newspaper. " The previous Conservative government did not proscribe the IRGC, despite suggesting it would do so in 2023.

Maintaining diplomatic relations with Iran has been cited as a reason for not proscribing the IRGC in the past.

Labour had promised to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organization before the general election in 2024. After coming to power, the Labour government stepped back from proscribing the IRGC while ministers reviewed options for dealing with state-linked organizations. The UK government already has powers to proscribe organizations under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has been banned under the Terrorism Act 2000. Jonathan Hall KC, the government's independent reviewer of terror legislation, said in a report last year that new powers were needed to tackle state-sponsored organizations. Hall recommended a law change that would give the government powers equivalent to proscription under the Terrorism Act 2000.

"By way of example, this strong power would be available for use against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," Hall said. Yvette Cooper, when she was home secretary last year, said the government had accepted Hall's recommendations. In May last year, Cooper stated the government would draw up new powers modeled on counter-terrorism powers in a series of areas to tackle these state threats.

"And crucially I can tell the House we will create a new power of proscription to cover state threats – a power that is stronger than current national security act powers in allowing us to restrict the activity and operations of foreign state backed organisations in the UK," Cooper said.