British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the classification of Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a threat to national security, a step that allows authorities to criminalize any support for it within the United Kingdom and impose penalties that could reach up to 14 years in prison.

According to a government statement, London will use new powers designed to counter threats backed by foreign states, giving police and intelligence agencies broader tools to investigate and prosecute activities linked to the Revolutionary Guard.

The measures include criminalizing various forms of support, ranging from public expressions of support to providing material or logistical assistance, if proven to be linked to activities that threaten British security.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the new powers will make it easier to pursue and imprison individuals who, in his words, carry out acts on behalf of those entities within Britain.

Attacks and threats

The step came after a series of attacks and threats that the British government said were linked to Iranian entities or those loyal to Tehran, targeting individuals and institutions in the United Kingdom.

The Revolutionary Guard remains subject to British sanctions, but the new measures go beyond financial penalties, as they allow criminalizing direct or indirect support, partially resembling a mechanism for banning organizations without necessarily including it in the traditional list of terrorist groups.

Since its establishment after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Revolutionary Guard has been one of the most prominent military and security institutions in Iran, wielding extensive influence inside and outside the country, and is directly linked to the Iranian Supreme Leader.

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Other groups

The classification also included the Islamic "Righteous Companions" movement, a group linked to Iran that London said claimed responsibility for seven attacks targeting Jewish and Israeli institutions and Persian-language media.

Among those attacks, according to the British government, was setting fire to four ambulances of the Hatzola service in Golders Green, London, last March.

Britain also included the Russian military intelligence agency GRU in the new measures, amid repeated Western accusations of it carrying out espionage and cyber attacks within Europe.

These classifications still require approval from the British Parliament before taking effect, but the announcement reflects increasing toughness from London towards activities linked to Iran and Russia, amid growing concerns over intimidation, espionage, and attacks backed by foreign states on British soil.

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