Britain Summons Its Highest-Ranking Iranian Diplomat over Alleged Europe Attack Plots
The United Kingdom has stepped up its pressure on Iran by summoning the highest-ranking Iranian diplomat in London, one day after banning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), following allegations that Tehran directed affiliated groups to carry out attacks across Europe.
The British Foreign Office announced that Iran’s chargé d’affaires had been summoned to receive London’s formal protest over intelligence indicating that the Quds Force, the overseas operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, instructed a group known as the “Companions of the Right Movement” to carry out attacks in Europe between March and May.
The ministry stated that these activities were “completely unacceptable,” arguing that Iran’s intelligence services had not ceased their hostile activities despite repeated warnings but had instead “sought to intensify their malicious behaviour.”
The Iranian Embassy in London did not issue an immediate response.
The diplomatic summons came one day after the British government announced the prohibition of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under newly enacted legal powers, which criminalise support for the IRGC, the promotion of its activities, or the provision of any material assistance to the organisation within the United Kingdom. Violations may result in prison sentences of up to fourteen years.
London justified the decision by citing growing concerns over the use of proxy groups or individuals by foreign states to conduct surveillance and sabotage operations inside the United Kingdom, asserting that the IRGC has relied on proxies to advance the Iranian state’s objectives abroad.
The British government also stated that it had concluded that the IRGC had directed a group identified as the “Islamic Companions of the Right Movement,” which it said had claimed responsibility for seven attacks targeting sites associated with Jewish communities, Israeli interests, and Persian-language media outlets.
In response, Tehran condemned Britain’s decision to ban the IRGC, arguing that the organisation is an official component of Iran’s armed forces and accusing the United Kingdom of violating international law by targeting a state institution.
The Quds Force serves as the IRGC’s external operations branch. The United States designates both the Quds Force and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organisations.
