After Britain Declares Revolutionary Guard a Terrorist Organization – What Is the Legal Position?
The United Kingdom is preparing to officially declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, but such a decision would have many implications over the next few days. Legal change meant that membership or support for the group’s activities became a criminal offense in the UK, and Whitehall sources said there had been no imminent announcement and many details still to be resolved. But they said it was “broadly right” to say the government intended to outlaw the IRGC, and the ban – first reported by the British Daily Telegraph – would follow a similar decision by the US in 2019.
Decision’s Consequences
The BBC, stressing that this represents a further hardening of the UK’s position on Iran after intelligence agencies said the country posed a direct threat, citing ten plots against British personnel or UK residents over the past year. There were reports last November of an Iranian hit squad targeting British and Iranian journalists in London. Last week, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard arrested seven people linked to the UK in connection with anti-government protests that have swept Iran in recent months.
Banning an organization was a formal legal procedure under the Terrorism Act 2000, and the Government should not only assess the extent of the group’s terrorist activities but also assess the specific threat it posed to British and British citizens abroad, which would be an offense not only to belong to the organization but also to express support for its goals, meet its members or even display its flag or emblem in public.
Stumbled international talks
According to the BBC, any decision by the UK to ban the IRGC would make it difficult to revive stalled international talks designed to revive the deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program. Established more than 40 years ago to defend Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the IRGC is now one of the strongest paramilitary organizations in the Middle East and has a strong military, political and economic power, using its vast funds to support allied governments and armed groups throughout the region.
Secretary of State James Cleverly announced last month that sanctions had been imposed on the entire IRGC, but there was growing parliamentary pressure on the government to go further. The Foreign Affairs Committee issued a report later in the month calling for the group to be banned as well, during last summer’s Conservative Party leadership contest – which was won by Liz Truss – Rishi Sunak said there was “a case for banning the IRGC”, and he had not commented on his views since becoming prime minister. A government spokesman said: “While the government keeps the list of banned organizations under review, we do not comment on whether or not a particular organization is under consideration for the ban.”
