LONDON (Reuters) – British lawmakers and members of the upper house of parliament have called on the government to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, saying it would be a step towards restoring stability to the Middle East.
Proscribing the IRGC as a terrorist group would mean it would become a criminal offence in Britain to belong to the group, attend its meetings or carry its logo in public. The IRGC is already subject to British sanctions.
In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, more than 60 lawmakers from the lower house of parliament and members of the House of Lords said “given the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, it is now more urgent than ever to proscribe the IRGC”.
“We call upon our government to recognise the urgency of proscribing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation and proceed to do so. Such a decision would constitute a significant step towards peace, stability, and justice in the Middle East and beyond,” read the letter, signed by senior Conservatives such as Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis and David Jones.
In January, a foreign office minister said Britain was actively considering proscribing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation but had not reached a final decision.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
