134 British Parliament Members Write to Rishi Sunak: Recognize the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization

A cross-party coalition in the British Parliament has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, calling for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be listed as a terrorist organization. This coalition, which includes former Home Secretaries Suella Braverman and Priti Patel, emphasized that the IRGC has never posed a "greater threat" to Britain. The signatories of the letter, published in the Times of London, also accused the IRGC's "thugs" of a knife attack on a journalist from Iran International TV in London that occurred last month. The Times reported that the IRGC, with approximately 125,000 members, is responsible for suppressing dissent and protests within Iran, while its Quds Force oversees the Islamic Republic's proxy forces throughout the Middle East. The IRGC was designated a terrorist organization by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019, marking the first time a military unit of a state was labeled as a terrorist group by the United States. London did not follow suit due to concerns about the diplomatic repercussions of such a move, including for the British embassy in Tehran. The letter signed by 134 British MPs stated that last weekend's attacks on Israel were the "latest chapter of the IRGC's devastating terrorism." It noted that the British government has fought extremism and terrorism by sanctioning Hamas and Hezbollah, but this is not enough. The signatories stressed that the IRGC is the main source of ideological radicalization, funding, equipment, and training for these groups, and the British government must act against the "main perpetrator" by designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization. In April of last year, 125 British MPs wrote a similar letter to the Prime Minister, emphasizing that the IRGC is a key agent of "systematic destabilization in the Middle East" and the operational arm of the "Iranian regime to achieve malicious ambitions and the killing of thousands." The signatories also referenced the dangers posed by the IRGC on British soil, including plotting to kill citizens and gathering intelligence on British Jews, calling for this military force to be labeled as terrorist. Israel welcomed the new EU sanctions against the Islamic Republic as an important step to eliminate the threat. The U.S. announced cooperation with allies to design a "unified strategy" in response to the actions of the Islamic Republic. The Israeli Foreign Minister wrote to 32 countries urging them to sanction Iran's missile program. The families of the victims of Flight PS752 called for the world to list the IRGC among terrorist groups. Cameron urged Israel not to take retaliatory action against the Iranian regime, while sanctions against the Islamic Republic are increasing. G7 leaders condemned the "unprecedented attacks" by the Islamic Republic against Israel, and G7 finance ministers also condemned Iran's attack on Israel.