The United Kingdom is moving forward with a landmark and divisive plan to formally label Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a national security threat, using a sweeping new anti-state threat law that entered into force just last week.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will leverage the newly enacted National Security (State Threats) Bill to outlaw all public and organized support for the IRGC, a core institutional branch of Iran’s national armed forces that answers directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader. This action marks the UK’s official full proscription of the group, which British authorities accuse of carrying out death threats and systematic intimidation campaigns against targets on British soil.
In a formal written statement released to parliament, Mahmood detailed that nearly any form of support for the IRGC – from public expressions of favorable opinion to logistical or practical assistance – will now count as a criminal offense in the UK, carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.
The new legislation will also be used to target two additional groups: Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (Hayi), a faction British authorities claim is aligned with Iran and has been linked to antisemitic attacks across the UK, and the volunteer wing of Russia’s foreign military intelligence agency, the GRU.
While the UK has not formally joined any open US-Israeli military conflict against Iran, it has already permitted the United States to access British military bases to launch offensive strikes against Iranian targets, aligning London with Washington’s regional pressure campaign against Tehran.
The path to this proscription action began in April, when current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to fast-track the State Threats Bill through parliament. With the bill now law, official draft regulations for the proscription designation are ready to be laid before parliamentary representatives for formal process.
Critically, the new legislation grants Mahmood broad, unchecked authority to designate any state-affiliated organization as a national security threat if she judges it runs counter to the UK’s “safety and interests.” It criminalizes any individual found to “support, assist and obtain material benefits” – including information sharing – from groups listed as terrorist or threat-aligned organizations.
Independent experts who review UK terrorism legislation have issued stark warnings about the bill’s broadly worded provisions, noting that the vague language creates a major risk of criminalizing journalists and non-governmental organization workers who engage in routine contact with designated organizations, potentially exposing them to the same 14-year prison sentences applied to group supporters.
Home Office Minister Angela Eagle defended the proscription in an official statement, arguing the IRGC’s role far outpaces that of a conventional military force. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a central component of the Iranian state’s security apparatus, answerable directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader. Its role extends far beyond that of a conventional military force. It encompasses intelligence activity, the use of proxy actors, and the projection of influence designed to advance Iranian state objectives,” Eagle said.
Prime Minister Starmer framed the move as a necessary step to protect domestic security, stating: “We will never let Britain be a playground for states who want to spread fear, division and violence on our streets. We have already taken tough action against the Iranian regime and those linked to it, and against Russian operatives and networks targeting our country. These new powers will make it easier to prosecute and lock up anyone carrying out their dirty work here in Britain.”
As of the announcement, independent news outlet Middle East Eye has reached out to the Home Office to request additional comment and clarification on how the IRGC proscription will operate in practical terms, with no further details released publicly to date.