UK Decision On Terror Ban For IRGC 'Under Review'
The UK’s Foreign Secretary says he continues to determine whether to ban Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) as a terrorist group.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary says he continues to determine whether to ban Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) as a terrorist group.
In an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, James Cleverly said: "We, of course, keep these decisions under constant review, but the decisions that we make within the UK will always be based on our, you know, the primary commitment, which is to keep British nationals safe, to keep people in the region safe."
The decisions include whether "to curtail the IRGC and the Iranian regime’s malign activities.”
Designating the IRGC as a terrorist group would bring the UK in line with the US.
Cleverly underscored the need for the UK and US to remain united on key issues, including the potential nuclear threats posed by Russia and Iran.
He said: "Preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon remains an absolute priority in U.K. foreign policy.
"We’ve worked very, very closely with the members of the Quad, France, Germany, the United States … in imposing sanctions, and obviously we know very closely what we're doing in conjunction with the International Atomic Energy Agency to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon."
Stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons will always be a priority of UK foreign policy, said Cleverly.
In recent months, a number of members of the British House of Commons have put pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organization. They include British Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Prominent political opposition activists, among them Prince Reza Pahlavi, Masih Alinejad, Nazanin Boniadi and Shirin Ebadi, have met British representatives to call for the Revolutionary Guards to be branded terrorists.
