Congressman Mike Lawler, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, joined Representatives Claudia Tenney and Brad Sherman in sending a bipartisan letter urging the United Kingdom to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, according to a May 13 statement.
The lawmakers said this move is important because the IRGC has been involved in terrorism abroad, supports proxy groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and has carried out plots targeting Americans and U.S. officials. They called on the UK government to join countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and members of the European Union in applying maximum pressure on both the IRGC and Iran’s regime.
“The Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in standing up to a brutal regime that uses the IRGC to suppress dissent at home and export terror abroad. The United Kingdom should move without further delay to formally proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organization and stand in solidarity with the thousands of innocent Iranians who have risked and, in many cases, lost their lives in pursuit of freedom,” said Congressman Lawler.
In their letter, lawmakers cited evidence of Iranian-backed hostile activity across Europe and Britain. This includes alleged links between Iran’s government or its proxies with anti-Semitic firebomb attacks, cyber operations against European targets, assassination plots against dissidents or critics of Tehran’s regime overseas, as well as intimidation campaigns.
“The IRGC is one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organizations and has the blood of innocent civilians, Americans, and dissidents on its hands. The Iranian regime continues to export terrorism, threaten our allies, and brutally suppress its own people through the IRGC and its proxy networks. The United Kingdom should immediately join the United States and our allies in formally designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization and send a clear message that the free world will not tolerate terrorism, political violence or antisemitic attacks,” said Congresswoman Tenney.
“Every day British Parliament fails to vote on this legislation is another day that IRGC evades full impact of our nations’ combined sanctions,” said Congressman Sherman.
Ted Deutch—CEO of American Jewish Committee—said: “For years American Jewish Committee (AJC) & our Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) interparliamentary group have called on governments to recognize Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for what it is: A terrorist organization… Recent actions by an increasing number countries blacklist [the] IRGC created renewed momentum; [the] UK should urgently align with US [and] EU… We welcome bipartisan leadership Representatives Brad Sherman Claudia Tenney Michael Lawler pressing UK act swiftly follow suit.”
