Attieh Fard is a solicitor, Director of United Christian Activists, and a supporter of the Ban IRGC campaign.
We are told at this weeks Cabinet that instead of tackling the pressures he was under over his leadership the Prime Minister insisted on talking about Iran.
While standing as a Conservative candidate in the historic first-ever West Surrey Unitary Authority elections, I too found myself reflecting on a growing issue facing Britain: whether our political leaders are finally prepared to confront the threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the IRGC, the hostile state-backed organisation called the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. IRGC has for years expanded its economic and political influence in Iran, the Middle East and beyond.
Last year, a report submitted to Parliament identified Iran as a serious national security concern. In 2025 alone, the regime was linked to at least 20 hostile activities on British soil targeting UK citizens and residents. Yet supporters of the regime continue to operate openly in Britain. Only weeks ago, demonstrators outside Downing Street chanted “death to Israel” and “death to America”, while recruitment activity linked to regime supporters reportedly spread through UK-based Telegram networks. Soon after, violent attacks against the Jewish and pro-freedom Iranian communities started.
British citizens including an independent journalist have also backed the Islamic regime. One of them went to Iran, attended a pro-regime rally where she waved the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, addressed the audience at a platform where the words ‘Revenge for All’ were written and chanted ‘death to Israel’ in Farsi and told the pro-regime supporters that they voices had reached England! We are yet to hear what actions the police and the Secretary of State for the Home Office are prepared to take regarding her.
After years of pressure from campaigners, including from members of the Ban IRGC campaign, the Government has finally announced plans to legislate against the IRGC, Iran’s powerful paramilitary force. The proposed measures could allow hostile state-backed organisations to be treated in a similar way to terrorist groups, making support for and promotion of them a criminal offence.
This action is long overdue. The Islamic Republic has spent decades exporting its ideology and influence beyond Iran, including into the UK. Britain must now decide whether it is serious about confronting hostile foreign influence operating within our borders and making our communities safer.
Once the new legislation is passed, the government needs a clear plan to robustly and swiftly implement the law.
Existing laws already provide the Government with significant powers where national security is at risk, including powers relating to immigration and citizenship deprivation in serious cases. Those powers should be applied consistently and without hesitation where individuals actively support organisations hostile to Britain and its allies.
Our immigration systems and practices should become fit for purpose to tackle the ever increasing national security threats. Currently, immigration applications set a series of standard questions asking if a person has supported a terrorist organisation or has ever supported extremism; however, a more detailed set of questions should be put to the applicants to ascertain the individual’s ideology and affiliation with organisations like the IRGC. The Home Office staff including those who interview asylum seekers or decision makers should be trained soon on this matter. I met a few Home Office staff members who did not know what the IRGC stood for and when I said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one of them wondered if they were against the Islamic Republic of Iran!
Clear guidance and policies should also be provided to businesses and communities to help them understand the implications of the upcoming legislation in advance. IRGC members, their immediate family members and supporters have been able to invest in the UK, migrate to the UK and work here. Some may even be British citizens. The Secretary of State needs to create a structure to enable prompt identification of these individuals, their connected entities and assets.
One policy which British-Iranians have been advocating for is the freezing of their assets and making them available to the innocent Iranian civilians whom IRGC members have harmed. The government has a moral duty to consider this demand.
Whilst the proposed banning of the IRGC is welcome, this must be only the beginning of a broader strategy to protect Britain from hostile state-backed extremism and foreign interference.
Attieh Fard is a solicitor, Director of United Christian Activists, and a supporter of the Ban IRGC campaign.
We are told at this weeks Cabinet that instead of tackling the pressures he was under over his leadership the Prime Minister insisted on talking about Iran.
While standing as a Conservative candidate in the historic first-ever West Surrey Unitary Authority elections, I too found myself reflecting on a growing issue facing Britain: whether our political leaders are finally prepared to confront the threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the IRGC, the hostile state-backed organisation called the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. IRGC has for years expanded its economic and political influence in Iran, the Middle East and beyond.
Last year, a report submitted to Parliament identified Iran as a serious national security concern. In 2025 alone, the regime was linked to at least 20 hostile activities on British soil targeting UK citizens and residents. Yet supporters of the regime continue to operate openly in Britain. Only weeks ago, demonstrators outside Downing Street chanted “death to Israel” and “death to America”, while recruitment activity linked to regime supporters reportedly spread through UK-based Telegram networks. Soon after, violent attacks against the Jewish and pro-freedom Iranian communities started.
British citizens including an independent journalist have also backed the Islamic regime. One of them went to Iran, attended a pro-regime rally where she waved the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, addressed the audience at a platform where the words ‘Revenge for All’ were written and chanted ‘death to Israel’ in Farsi and told the pro-regime supporters that they voices had reached England! We are yet to hear what actions the police and the Secretary of State for the Home Office are prepared to take regarding her.
After years of pressure from campaigners, including from members of the Ban IRGC campaign, the Government has finally announced plans to legislate against the IRGC, Iran’s powerful paramilitary force. The proposed measures could allow hostile state-backed organisations to be treated in a similar way to terrorist groups, making support for and promotion of them a criminal offence.
This action is long overdue. The Islamic Republic has spent decades exporting its ideology and influence beyond Iran, including into the UK. Britain must now decide whether it is serious about confronting hostile foreign influence operating within our borders and making our communities safer.
Once the new legislation is passed, the government needs a clear plan to robustly and swiftly implement the law.
Existing laws already provide the Government with significant powers where national security is at risk, including powers relating to immigration and citizenship deprivation in serious cases. Those powers should be applied consistently and without hesitation where individuals actively support organisations hostile to Britain and its allies.
Our immigration systems and practices should become fit for purpose to tackle the ever increasing national security threats. Currently, immigration applications set a series of standard questions asking if a person has supported a terrorist organisation or has ever supported extremism; however, a more detailed set of questions should be put to the applicants to ascertain the individual’s ideology and affiliation with organisations like the IRGC. The Home Office staff including those who interview asylum seekers or decision makers should be trained soon on this matter. I met a few Home Office staff members who did not know what the IRGC stood for and when I said Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one of them wondered if they were against the Islamic Republic of Iran!
Clear guidance and policies should also be provided to businesses and communities to help them understand the implications of the upcoming legislation in advance. IRGC members, their immediate family members and supporters have been able to invest in the UK, migrate to the UK and work here. Some may even be British citizens. The Secretary of State needs to create a structure to enable prompt identification of these individuals, their connected entities and assets.
One policy which British-Iranians have been advocating for is the freezing of their assets and making them available to the innocent Iranian civilians whom IRGC members have harmed. The government has a moral duty to consider this demand.
Whilst the proposed banning of the IRGC is welcome, this must be only the beginning of a broader strategy to protect Britain from hostile state-backed extremism and foreign interference.