UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the government will use new legal powers to criminalize any support for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). If approved by parliament, the penalty could reach up to 14 years in prison. Cooper stated in a written statement to parliament that the IRGC poses a threat to British national security, and that any support for the organization — including expressing positive opinions, cooperation, or providing assistance — would constitute a criminal offense.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced Tuesday morning that the government will use new legal powers to criminalize any form of support for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with a potential penalty of up to 14 years in prison if the regulations are approved by parliament.
In a written statement to parliament, Cooper said the IRGC poses a threat to British national security. The proposed offense would cover expressing positive opinions about the organization, cooperating with it, or providing any form of assistance.
The move follows a series of UK actions against the IRGC. As The Zioneer previously reported, the British government designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization on July 13, and separately linked an Iranian-backed proxy group to arson and vandalism attacks targeting Jewish sites across Britain, banning both the IRGC and the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR). The new criminalization of support represents a further tightening of the legal framework beyond the existing terrorist designation.
The regulations require parliamentary approval before taking effect. No timeline for the vote was provided.
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