Suella Braverman is Right About Iran
In January, I reported on the growing alarm within the UK Government at Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). That month, the UK placed sanctions on Iranian officials after the regime executed dual British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, with the House of Commons then passing a motion calling on the UK Government to finally proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. The vote passed unanimously in favour, though it’s not binding.
Since then, progress on this issue seems to have consisted mostly of internal Government infighting over the implementation of any actual policy. The group remains firmly off the terror organisation list, and we now have something of a standoff between Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. The former is advocating for rapid proscription and fears a threat to British citizens, especially leading Jewish figures. Cleverly, however, sees such a move as counterproductive.
That the IRGC is a clear and immediate danger seems obvious. In 2022, MI5 acknowledged a real threat from Iran’s “aggressive intelligence services” to kidnap or kill people based in the UK. In 2019, the United States designated the IRGC a terrorist organisation, prompting the UK to consider doing the same.
The Foreign Office has thus far opted for expanding sanctions on Iran — specifically giving the UK increased powers to target the country’s key decision-makers — but is reluctant to impose full proscription. At the same time, the FCDO is frustrated at the insinuation from some quarters that it is somehow “soft” on Iran. The charge is indeed unfair: I have dealt with those responsible for the Iran file over many years and know them to be some of our most impressive Government experts. They have no illusions whatsoever about the Islamic Republic, let alone the IRGC…
