UK outlaws IRGC, Tehran-backed terror group behind antisemitic attacks

The British government announced on Monday that it is banning Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Tehran-linked Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR), also known as HAYI, after the group claimed responsibility for a series of antisemitic attacks in the United Kingdom.

The move marks one of London's strongest actions yet against Iranian-backed activity on British soil. Under the new measures, affiliation with either the IRGC or IMCR/HAYI will be punishable by up to life imprisonment. The government expects Parliament to approve the legislation by the end of the week.

"Despite repeated warnings, Iran has continued in its attempts to undermine the safety and security of the UK through its use of criminal networks and proxy groups," British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in an official statement.

"We are clear that we will not tolerate foreign-backed threats that target the UK or our allies. That’s why we are today going one step further and announcing sanctions on the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR), otherwise known as HAYI, an organisation who have publicly claimed responsibility for 7 attacks at UK locations linked to Jewish and Israeli communities, and Persian-language media, including the antisemitic arson attack on four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green in March," the foreign secretary continued.

In March, London police arrested two suspects following the arson attack targeting Hatzola ambulances serving the Jewish community in Golders Green.

British Security Minister Angela Eagle said the attacks were directed by the IRGC's Quds Force, the elite unit responsible for the Iranian regime's overseas operations and coordination of proxy groups.

"Sitting behind IMCR were members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, who almost certainly directed IMCR attacks across Europe," Eagle stated.

The IMCR also claimed responsibility for anti-Jewish attacks in the Netherlands and Belgium earlier this year.

In June, 22 countries, including the UK and the United States, condemned the IRGC and its Quds Force for supporting attacks targeting Jewish communities, Iranian dissidents and journalists critical of the Iranian regime.

A 2024 European intelligence assessment concluded that Tehran has increasingly relied on criminal networks to carry out attacks against Jewish, Israeli and Iranian dissident targets across Europe. The assessment, shared by Israeli intelligence, identified Sweden as a key hub for Iranian terror operations.

"Iran operates many criminal organizations in Sweden and Europe, in general, while taking advantage of the relative advantage of each and sometimes the rivalry between them," Israeli intelligence stated in 2024.

On Monday, British authorities also designated the Russian-controlled GRU Volunteer Corps as a national security threat, accusing the group of carrying out hostile covert operations in the UK on behalf of Moscow.

"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," outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated.

The announcement comes as European governments continue to increase pressure on Tehran.

In January, the European Parliament voted in favor of listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization amid broader EU efforts to impose additional sanctions on Iran over its refusal to grant international inspectors access to its nuclear sites.