Sir Keir Starmer is resisting American demands to officially ban the paramilitary wing of Iran‘s regime despite Tehran’s brutal suppression of protests.
The US State Department last night told the UK that designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) as a terror group is ‘merely stating the obvious’.
‘We encourage all partners to join us and to add pressure on Iran at this critical moment for the Iranian people,’ a spokesman added.
But Downing Street this morning played down the prospect of proscribing the IRGC – which is said to be playing a leading role in the violent crackdown of pro-democracy protests – by suggesting the move would be ineffective.
No10 pointed to comments by Sir Richard Moore, the former head of MI6, who said he would ‘caution’ that the move ‘won’t have practical effect’.
The senior diplomat also told BBC Radio 4 that ‘the danger is that something like that is mostly about us feeling better about ourselves’.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘I’d add that proscription powers are designed for non-state terror organisations, not state organisations.
‘I’ve set out our position separate to Sir Richard Moore’s position, but I think it’s helpful to point back to his words too.’
But the Labour Government continued to face pressure to officially ban the IRGC as the death toll mounts in Iran amid widespread protests.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told a press conference on Monday: ‘We should have proscribed the IRGC years ago, just as we should have proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood years ago.
‘I’ve been saying those things clearly and consistently for many, many years.’
Sir Keir Starmer is resisting demands to officially ban the paramilitary wing of Iran’s regime despite Tehran’s brutal suppression of protests
Downing Street played down the prospect of proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, which is said to be playing a leading role in the violent crackdown of pro-democracy protests
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told a press conference: ‘We should have proscribed the IRGC years ago, just as we should have proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood years ago.’
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she is not against proscribing the IRGC, but added there were existing powers that could be used.
‘So I’m not against that, but we already have powers within the National Security Act in order to ban organisations like the IRGC,’ she said.
‘At the end of the day, they are the army of an enemy country. We don’t need to have a ban. There are loads of laws and legislation in place. Let’s use them.’
Proscription is the banning of a group based on an assessment that it commits or participates in, prepares for, promotes or encourages, or is otherwise concerned in terrorism.
Membership of, or support for, a proscribed group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Cabinet minister Peter Kyle this morning would not be drawn on whether the UK would proscribe the IRGC after hundreds of people were killed and thousands detained in the uprising against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule.
He said the UK ‘already used the sanctions against Iran to the full extent we can,’ and suggested that labelling the IRGC as a terrorist organisation was not ‘appropriate’.
Thousands took to the streets of London on Sunday as protests against the Iranian regime and the brutal crackdown by its security forces spread around the world.
Activists now say that the death toll from the brutal suppression of nationwide demonstrations in the Middle Eastern nation is at least 538 people.
Meanwhile, more than 10,600 people have been detained – according the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Cabinet Minister Peter Kyle this morning would not be drawn on whether the UK would take such a step
Activists now say that the death toll from the brutal suppression of nationwide demonstrations in the Middle Eastern nation is at least 538 people
Mr Kyle, the Business Secretary, told Times Radio the Government was ‘looking very closely about how we can support people in Iran’.
He said: ‘A state has a duty to protect people who are protesting. The right to protest of course is a fundamental right and we are all thinking very, very deeply about those people affected in Iran by the response of the Iranian government.’
‘They must allow the space for protest to unfold,’ he added.
Asked whether Britain would be prepared to offer help with communications amid an internet blackout in the country, he said: ‘We don’t comment on security matters, we don’t comment on live issues where we may or may not be using those sorts of powers.’
He said the Government is already sanctioning Iran and the Iranian security services and has been ‘really careful to be as strident as we possibly can in support of Iranian people who want change in Iran’.
His response came after the US State Department told the Telegraph: ‘Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and has yet again turned that terror on its own people.
‘Designating the IRGC as a terrorist organisation is merely stating the obvious.
‘We encourage all partners to join us and to add pressure on Iran at this critical moment for the Iranian people.’
Sir Richard, the former MI6 chief, said that UK terror law was not designed for state-affiliated groups.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I would just caution that it won’t have practical effect.
‘It has symbolic impact but the danger is that something like that is more about us feeling better about ourselves, it’s not actually something that will have an impact on the IRGC precisely because that instrument is designed for non-state terrorist groups, not for parts of the state.
‘The IRGC is a very bad organisation that does very bad things, it is just whether that is the right instrument to try to tackle it with.’
