The UK government has finally proscribed Iran’s IRGC terror organisation.
This week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will be designated a threat to national security. A written letter to parliament now gives police the powers to operate against supporters of the IRGC in the UK, and when the bill passes through parliament in a few weeks, it will become established law.
This now means that expressing support for the IRGC or assisting them in their activities is an offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, and those who conduct terror attacks, including arson, could face life in prison.
The IRGC was set up after the 1979 Iranian Revolution to defend Iran’s new Islamic system, but has since become a powerful arm of the state with a reach beyond Iran’s borders and an estimated 190,000 active personnel. Terror groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis are under the direct control of the IRGC.
Not only is the IRGC a threat to Israel and the Middle East, but it is also a very real threat to the UK (as outlined in our latest Torch magazine). Earlier this year, the Prime Minister said that MI5 had thwarted more than 20 plots of Iranian terror in just 12 months. Several other terror attacks that have taken place on British soil, including the Hatzola ambulance arson attack, are believed to have been directed by the IRGC.
Another group that is being proscribed alongside them is the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR), which is linked to Iran’s IRGC. The IMCR publicly claimed responsibility for the arson attacks in Golders Green and other attacks against Jews and Israelis in London.
The UK is not alone in cracking down on Iran’s terror proxy. In January, the European Union (EU) added the IRGC to its terror list. Likewise, the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have also designated the group as a terrorist organisation.
It has taken a long time for Britain to get to this point, but we are thankful that it is finally happening.
Thank you to the thousands of CUFI supporters who have signed our petitions and written to their MPs through our campaigning. We believe our advocacy makes a difference.
We also want to thank everyone who has prayed for our work and who sacrificially donates to fund these projects. We could not do this alone, so we thank you for every seed you have sown.
At CUFI, we continue to stand with Israel and the Jewish people against any and all threats against them. Banning the IRGC is a step in the right direction for Britain in standing against terror. We pray this will be a positive step towards a safer Britain for Jews.
There is much work to be done. We are under no illusion that antisemitism is on the rise, and our government still needs to get its act together on how it treats Israel. However, let’s celebrate this small victory and then push forward. Our work is far from complete. The Jewish people need the help of their Christian friends more than ever.
For Zion’s sake!
The CUFI UK Team
