The UK government has announced a ban on support for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a major escalation of diplomatic tensions with Tehran. Under the direction of Keir Starmer, the IRGC and two other groups will become the first to be named as threats to national security in the United Kingdom. While not legally identical to proscription, the Home Office move is equivalent to it.
The designation follows allegations that the IRGC engineered a series of antisemitic attacks and has been linked to violent plots, death threats, and intimidation on British soil. UK authorities have tied the group and its proxies to these threats to life, prompting the government to take action against the central branch of the Iranian military.
Shabana Mahmood will utilize new powers granted under a new law designed to stop the use of state-sponsored proxies. This legislation provides the government with additional national security powers to tackle foreign threats and target outfits operating as state proxies.