More than 550 Members of Parliament and peers are urging Keir Starmer to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. This push to classify the IRGC as a terrorist group coincides with the trial of Iranians accused of espionage in London.
The letter, signed by over 550 MPs and peers—including former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman—criticises Iran’s “hijab and chastity law.” Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure from these lawmakers to ban the IRGC, especially as the human rights situation deteriorates and following the charges against three Iranian men for espionage in London.
Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock is also calling on the Prime Minister to outlaw the IRGC, highlighting that the human rights crisis in Iran is worsening.
The UK government has previously hesitated to ban the IRGC due to concerns that such action could harm diplomatic relations with Tehran. However, Conservative MP Bob Blackman, who chairs the influential backbench 1922 Committee, stated, “It’s time to change our course on Iran policy.”