The UK will not proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps despite its role in perpetrating acts of terror in Iran, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said.
Speaking to Times Radio Breakfast on Monday, Kyle said that the UK government “did a review and asked the independent reviewer into terrorism laws last summer to look into this. He came back and said the idea of proscribing – like we do for domestic terror organizations – isn’t appropriate for a foreign state organization.
When asked whether he was insinuating that Britain was pursuing proscription under foreign terror laws, or if it was an outright no, Kyle responded, “We’ve already used sanctions against Iran to the full extent we can.” The IRGC has been sanctioned by the UK since December 2020, meaning it is subject to asset freezes and director disqualification sanctions. Some of its branches – the Quds Force, the Aerospace Force, and the Al-Ghadir Missile Command – are also sanctioned under the same regulations. Some 104 additional IRGC-linked individuals or companies are also sanctioned.
Kyle nevertheless claimed that the UK is “trying to be as strident as we possibly can in support of Iranian people who want change in Iran.”
“Let’s be really clear: A state has a duty to protect people who are protesting; the right to protest is a fundamental right,” he added. “They must allow the space for protest to unfold.”
The IRGC is proscribed in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Australia.
While Kyle claimed that UK terrorism laws are reserved for domestic organizations, it is actually possible for a foreign-state terror group to be proscribed in Britain.
How does UK's Terrorism Act work
Under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, the home secretary may proscribe an organization if they believe it is concerned in terrorism and it is proportionate to do so. The law does not stipulate that the organization must be a non-state actor, opening up the possibility for a state actor to be banned; however, it is more difficult to do so.
Nevertheless, British officials have repeatedly stated that sanctions are the preferred course of action and that proscribing a state military body like the IRGC may have diplomatic consequences.
Many figures, including former home secretary Suella Braverman and Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, have called on the UK to proscribe the IRGC. Last year, Pahlavi told Parliament that “the time for appeasement is over” and asked it to pursue a full ban.
Additionally, before the last general election, the Labour Party did promise to proscribe the group. In early 2023, David Lammy told Parliament that Labour would proscribe the IRGC, and a few months later, Yvette Cooper reiterated that a Labour government would apply a full ban.