Media: UK stands firm against designating Iran’s IRGC as terror organisation

The UK government appears poised to disregard calls for the designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, amid concerns of a potential diplomatic rift between London and Tehran.

According to sources within the government, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is leaning against the proscription of the IRGC, despite previous calls from the Labour Party to classify the group as terrorist when they were in opposition, Caliber.Az reports per Politico.

The IRGC, which has an estimated 125,000 personnel, is responsible for upholding the Iranian regime’s theocratic Islamic order domestically. Its overseas division, the Quds Force, is accused of managing Iranian proxies like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both of which are classified as terrorist groups by the UK.

The Telegraph previously reported that Downing Street was reviewing the possibility of labelling the IRGC as a terrorist entity following backlash from some Labour MPs regarding the UK’s recent decision to restrict certain arms exports to Israel.

However, several government insiders have since indicated that Labour ministers are now opposed to the prescription, fearing it could lead to reciprocal expulsion of diplomats in both capitals.

While the IRGC is already subject to sanctions imposed by the UK government, its designation as a terrorist organisation would represent a significant, albeit largely symbolic, step that few nations have taken. Officials within the government caution that such a move could derail diplomatic relations between the two countries.

A Whitehall official, who requested anonymity, remarked, “The civil service continually told [Labour] this was the dilemma when they kept calling for this in opposition.” Another senior figure from the Foreign Office stated, “The IRGC aren’t terrorists.

Like with Russia, we’re better off punishing them for what they are instead of pretending they’re something they are not.”

They further added, “At a time when Iran is causing such danger in the world, I want an embassy in Tehran.”

A London-Tehran diplomatic breakdown would be particularly ill-timed, government officials believe, due to the UK's role in coaxing Tehran to de-escalate the deepening conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxies in Lebanon and Gaza.

The government is instead opting for a range of more traditional sanctions, including slapping asset freezes and travel bans on two senior members of the IRGC on October 14.

By Aghakazim Guliyev