Government accused of ‘dragging heels’ over banning Iran terror group | World | News

The government was today accused of rushing to finally designate Iran’s brutal Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group. The Revolutionary Guard, which has tightened its grip on power since the US assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been blamed for the killing of thousands of innocent civilians who staged street protests in January. He is also complicit in more than 20 potentially deadly plots on British soil that have been foiled by security services.

Despite this, action to designate the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group and impose strict legal penalties on those who encourage its brutality has moved painfully slowly; It took decades. The government is ostensibly determined to ban the IRGC, and in fact the legislation was passed in the House of Lords a week ago.

But major legal flaws were highlighted and the deadline for banning the group was further delayed.

Conservative MP and 1922 Committee Chairman Bob Blackman, who has championed the cause of a democratic Iran for more than a decade and has been actively working in the House of Commons to force the Government to ban the IRGC, said he suspected the Government was stalling.

He said: “The Government will pass the emergency bill in the House of Commons and indeed they passed it through the House of Lords in a day… but it is full of loopholes.

“I think one of the reasons for the delay might be that peace talks are going on right now. I think the Government is hoping they won’t bother banning those talks… maybe they’re claiming ‘We need to normalize relations with Iran’ or something like that.”

“They showed no desire to expedite the process and appeared to proceed as slowly as possible.”

Aid organizations have also warned that the proposed bill could have serious unintended consequences due to the way it has been drafted.

Bond, the umbrella body representing international development organizations in the UK, warned that the legislation in its current form could mistakenly criminalize humanitarian work, for example, where authorities could potentially be criminalized simply for asking where mines are being laid.

The Government’s own International Development Committee echoed these concerns, saying the Bill risked creating legal uncertainty for charities providing UK-funded humanitarian aid in some of the world’s most dangerous environments.

Labor MP Sarah Champion, chair of the committee, welcomed ministers’ willingness to consider the changes but warned “there is still much more to be done”, arguing the legislation should not make the job of charities more difficult.

The National Security (State Threats) Bill was introduced in June and quickly passed all the House of Commons stages before completing the remaining stages of the House of Lords on 30 June. He has now returned to MPs after his colleagues secured changes to protect legitimate humanitarian activities.

The legislation is intended to create a new legal framework that will allow the Home Secretary to identify foreign state-sponsored organizations engaging in hostile activities against the UK. Ministers have made clear that the powers are actually designed in part to ensure action is taken against the Revolutionary Guard, which is difficult to proscribe under existing terrorism legislation because it forms part of the Iranian state.

Iranian opposition figures have also called on the UK government to blacklist the Revolutionary Guard.

Speaking at a cross-party summit in the UK Parliament, Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told MPs: “At a time when the world faces serious security and economic challenges due to the regime’s ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons and its regional interventions, a firm stance against this religious fascism is essential for global peace and security.”

Rajavi argued that a harsher international response was needed to support democratic change in Iran, adding that the international community should recognize the NCRI’s proposed interim government.

He concluded: “I express my deep hope that the UK Government will no longer delay the designation of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.”

The NCRI had been campaigning for years to have the IRGC outlawed in Britain after exposing the organisation’s terrorist activities, espionage networks and operations in Europe and beyond.

Officially designating the IRGC would strengthen Britain’s ability to prosecute those supporting the group and send a clear message that state-sponsored terrorism will be met with the full force of the law, campaigners say.

The Home Office has been contacted for a comment.