The UK government will not be proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) despite its role in perpetrating acts of terror in Iran.
Britain's Business Secretary Peter Kyle told Times Radio Breakfast on Monday that the UK government "did a review and asked the independent reviewer into terrorism laws last summer to look into this. He came back and said the idea of proscribing - as we do for domestic terror organizations - isn't appropriate for a foreign state organization.
When asked whether he was insinuating Britain was pursuing proscription under foreign terror laws, or if it was an outright no, Kyle responded: "We've already used sanctions against Iran to the full extent we can." The IRGC has been sanctioned by the UK since December 2020, meaning it is subject to asset freezes and Director Disqualification Sanctions. Its offshoots - Quds Force, Aerospace Force, and Al Ghadir Missile Command - are also sanctioned under the same regulations. 104 additional IRGC-linked individuals or companies are also sanctioned.
Kyle nevertheless claimed that the UK is "trying to be as strident as we possibly can in support of the Iranian people who want change in Iran."
"Let's be really clear - a state has a duty to protect people who are protesting, the right to protest is a fundamental right," he added. "They must allow the space for protest to unfold."
The IRGC is proscribed in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Australia.
While Kyle claimed that UK terrorism laws are reserved for domestic organizations, it is actually possible for a foreign-state terror group to be proscribed.
How does UK's Terrorism Act work
Under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary may proscribe an organization if they believe it is concerned in terrorism, and it is proportionate to do so. The law does not require that the organization be a non-state actor, leaving open the possibility that a state actor could be banned.
Nevertheless, British officials have repeatedly stated that sanctions are the preferred course of action and that proscribing a state military body such as the IRGC could have diplomatic consequences.
Many figures, including former home secretary Suella Braverman and Prince Reza Pahlavi, have called on the UK to proscribe the group. Last year, Pahlavi told the British parliament that "the time for appeasement is over" and asked it to pursue a full ban.
Additionally, before the last general election, the Labour Party did promise to proscribe the group. In early 2023, David Lammy told Parliament that Labour would proscribe the IRGC, and a few months later, Yvette Cooper reiterated that a Labour Government would apply a full ban.