UK to list Iran’s IRGC as ‘terror’ threat

London debuts new powers targeting state proxies after accusing Iranian military organisation of engineering anti-Semitic attacks.The British government is pressing to use new powers allowing it to criminalise state proxies in order to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a threat to national security.In a statement issued on Monday, the government announced that it was submitting draft regulations to the UK Parliament that would ban support for the IRGC. The move follows a series of anti-Semitic attacks in the United Kingdom.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4EU unveils $1bn fund for Gaza war recoverylist 2 of 4Oil prices jump as US and Iran trade attacks over Strait of Hormuzlist 3 of 4US and Iran trade strikes as ceasefire comes under growing strainlist 4 of 4New Iran strikes on Gulf as US attacks escalate: What we knowend of listIn the statement, the government said the submission of the legislation was part of an attempt to “crack down on foreign state-backed activity in the UK”, noting this would include “espionage, foreign interference in our democracy, sabotage and physical attacks”.Following the designation, it will be a criminal offence to invite support for or express support for the military organisation, assist them in carrying out UK-related activities, engage in conduct likely to materially assist them, or accept or retain material benefits provided by or on their behalf, according to the report.Apart from the IRGC, the UK government also listed the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR), an Iran-backed group that claimed seven attacks on Jewish sites in the UK earlier this year, and Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU Volunteer Corps, as “the first bodies designated under landmark new state threats powers”.British police have investigated attacks on Jewish-linked sites in London, including the torching of four ambulances belonging to a community charity in March, as anti-Semitic hate crimes. Three men were charged with arson in April.Volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation were set on fire overnight in March in London [File: AFP]“If approved by Parliament later this week, those conducting acts of sabotage including arson on behalf of these groups could face life imprisonment,” the statement added.