UK moves to outlaw support for IRGC under new state-threat powers

LONDON, July 13, 2026 — Britain said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right and Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps will be the first groups designated under new state-threats powers, in a move that would make it easier to prosecute people accused of acting on their behalf in the United Kingdom. The announcement was published Monday by the government.

If Parliament approves the designations later this week, people who support or assist the groups could face prison terms of up to 14 years, while those carrying out hostile acts such as sabotage or arson on their behalf could face life sentences, according to the government. Prosecutors would no longer need to prove a foreign power connection in every case.

The government said the Iran-linked IMCR had publicly claimed responsibility for seven attacks on sites linked to Jewish and Israeli communities and Persian-language media in Britain, including the March 23 arson attack on four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, north London. It said members of the IRGC’s Qods Force were almost certainly behind IMCR attacks across Europe.

The designation also targets what Britain described as Russia’s use of proxy networks. The government said the GRU Volunteer Corps is controlled by Russian military intelligence and used to recruit people online to carry out sabotage, arson and harassment.

The move follows the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026 receiving Royal Assent last week, and comes amid heightened concern about state-backed plots in Britain. The government said MI5 identified at least 20 potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots against people in the UK in a single year, and noted that Britain has already sanctioned the IRGC in its entirety along with more than 550 Iranian-linked individuals and entities.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the new powers would help authorities prosecute and jail those carrying out foreign states’ “dirty work” in Britain.