Britain moves to designate IRGC, two other groups as state threats

London: The British government said Monday it was moving to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and two other organisations as national security threats.

The other two are the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR), which Britain says is linked to Iran, and the Volunteer Corps, overseen by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, commonly known as the GRU Volunteer Corps.

If approved by parliament, they will become the first organisations designated under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026, according to a written statement by Security Minister Angela Eagle, Xinhua news agency reported.

The designation would make it a criminal offence to support or assist the organisations in activities linked to Britain, or knowingly receive a material benefit from them. Certain offences could carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The IRGC has already been sanctioned in its entirety by Britain. The new designation regime is separate from the system for proscribing terrorist organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000.

There was no immediate response from the organisations.

In May, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) summoned Iran’s ambassador in response to a diplomatic tension following charges against three Iranian nationals under the National Security Act.

The summons followed an announcement that three Iranian nationals had been charged with engaging in activities likely to benefit a foreign intelligence service.

The three men – Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55 – appeared at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court

According to police, they allegedly conducted activities in assisting Iran’s intelligence service between Aug. 14, 2024, and February 16, 2025. Sepahvand faces an additional charge of carrying out “surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research” with the intent to commit serious violence against a person in the UK.

In response, Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the British charge d’affaires on Sunday, protesting what it described as “suspicious and unjustified” arrests of several Iranians in Britain. Iran rejected the allegations as “false” and the charges as “unrealistic.”

IANS