Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and several other members of Congress urged the United Kingdom on May 13 to formally designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. The bipartisan letter was led by Tenney, Representative Brad Sherman, and Representative Mike Lawler, and included signatures from lawmakers across both parties.
The lawmakers said the move is important because the IRGC has been linked to orchestrating terrorism abroad, supporting groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and targeting Americans and U.S. officials. They called for the UK government to join countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and members of the European Union in increasing pressure on both the IRGC and Iran’s leadership.
In their letter to British officials, they referenced reports of Iranian-backed hostile activities in Europe and Britain. These include alleged connections to anti-Semitic firebomb attacks, cyber operations against institutions or individuals critical of Iran’s regime, assassination plots against dissidents living abroad, and intimidation campaigns targeting critics.
“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 the British Parliament fails to vote on this legislation is another day that the IRGC evades the full impact of our nations’ combined sanctions,” said Congressman Sherman.
Congressman Lawler added: “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…”
Ted Deutch from American Jewish Committee also endorsed this call for action: “For years… governments [should] recognize…the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for what it is: a terrorist organization… Recent actions by an increasing number of countries… have created renewed momentum… We welcome [this] bipartisan leadership …in pressing UK to act swiftly.”
Claudia Tenney is currently serving in Congress representing New York’s 24th district after replacing Anthony Brindisi in 2021; she previously served in New York State Assembly from 2011-2016 according to Wikipedia. She was born in New Hartford in 1961; she graduated from Colgate University with a BA before earning her JD at University of Cincinnati according to Wikipedia.
