Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Lord Hanson of Flint Excerpts

Tuesday 13th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Cryer]

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they will reconsider their decision not to proscribe the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

[The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Hanson of Flint) (Lab)]

It is the Government’s long-standing position not to comment on the detail of security or intelligence matters, including whether a specific organisation is being considered for proscription. The Government’s approach to threats to the UK is kept under constant review. However, the Government utterly condemn the appalling violence recently seen from the Iranian regime.

[Lord Cryer (Lab)]

My Lords, I appreciate what my noble friend says. However, the IRGC remains what it has always been: a bunch of murderous fascists and fanatics. We are seeing that fact play out tragically on the streets of Iran at the moment. In the context of the Question on the Order Paper, I am concerned about the activities of the IRGC on the streets of Britain. It pursues alleged enemies of the Iranian state, very often using criminal proxies for its poisonous ends. On that basis, could we perhaps see an undertaking by the Home Office that there will be an assessment on what would be the effects of full proscription of the IRGC?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

As I said to my noble friend, we keep proscription under constant review, and that will always be the case. I am sure he is aware that the IRGC is sanctioned by the UK Government. That sanction means that we have travel bans, so no known member of the IRGC can travel to the United Kingdom. Where it has resources in the United Kingdom, those resources are frozen under international obligations. So there are significant actions against that appalling regime, and we are acutely aware of the difficulties and challenges that it is facing. We condemn the actions it is taking on the ground in Iran at the moment and we will keep the issue of proscription under review, as I have mentioned.

[Baroness Verma (Con)]

My Lords, over the past few days we have witnessed horrifying pictures of murder and torture on our TV screens. We cannot allow that to just go past without making some very strong statements, knowing full well that the IRGC is behind a lot of those murders and killings. Will the Minister— I am sure he will—take back to the Prime Minister our need to be very forthright in condemning this and making sure that we are working with our other partners to ensure that this horrible regime understands the feeling from the West?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

I can assure the noble Baroness that my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has this week spoken directly to the Iranian Government. The Iranian ambassador to the United Kingdom is being summoned to see Foreign Office Ministers today. As we speak, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is making a Statement in the House of Commons outlining a range of other measures that the Government intend to take. The noble Baroness can be assured that we are appalled by the actions of the Iranian Government and will continue to make representations accordingly.

[Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (LD)]

My Lords, with the focus on the problems in Iran at the moment, and bearing in mind what the Minister has said about what he can and cannot comment on, does he agree that with the Intelligence and Security Committee’s finding that:

“Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat”,


and MI5’s revelation of more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots, the continued failure to proscribe the IRGC leaves a dangerous gap in our national security that cannot continue to be avoided?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

The noble Lord is right that both the security services and the Government have taken a very serious view of the threat of the Iranian regime at home and abroad. That is why the Government have undertaken to impose the financial sanctions and travel bans I referred to in my answer to my noble friend Lord Cryer. We keep proscription under review. That does not mean that we do not keep security issues under review at all times as well. We will take whatever action is required to protect Britain and British citizens and to ensure that we deflate the conflation that is happening now in Iran.

[Lord Davies of Gower (Con)]

The United Arab Emirates is advising its students that British academic institutions are being used to radicalise students by Islamist groups with links to Iran. How concerned are the Government about the impact on our international reputation and our universities, and what do the Government propose to do about it?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

As I have said to the House already, the security services are very aware of the potential threat from Iranian forces and Iranian operatives. The foreign influence registration scheme has been in place and we have the Iranian regime in the first tier of that scheme, so it is a criminal offence to support foreign activity from Iran in the United Kingdom, with a severe penalty of five years’ imprisonment. As I have said, we have also sanctioned individuals so that they cannot travel to the United Kingdom when they are known to us, and their finances are frozen. We keep all matters under review; the question of proscription is one of those matters that we will continue to review.

[Lord McDonald of Salford (CB)]

Does the Minister accept that, in the end, the decision to proscribe the IRGC is a political one rather than a legal one, so the need to send a strong political signal may trump the desire for complete legal consistency?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

The issue for the Government at all times is the impact of that proscription in the first place, which is why we are keeping it under review. I cannot comment on the details of proscription, but I say to the noble Lord, who I know has great experience in this area, that sanctions, financial freezing of assets and the foreign influence registration scheme that we brought in very recently are all major pressures on the Iranian regime. The proscription issue is one that we will continue to examine, but it is not one I can answer on at this Dispatch Box, for reasons that I am sure the noble Lord is fully aware of.

[Lord Beamish (Lab)]

My Lords, as has already been mentioned, the ISC’s report last year on Iran demonstrated the key role that the IRGC plays in the Iranian regime. People say that, for example, the United States has proscribed the IRGC, but it has a very different set of legal requirements from our proscription. I understand from a story in this week’s Times that the Government are reviewing the method by which they could take action against the IRGC. If they are, I ask the Minister to make sure that the ISC is kept fully informed.

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

As a former member of the Intelligence and Security Committee myself, I would want to see that the committee is kept fully informed. My noble friend will know that Jonathan Hall KC is currently undertaking a review of legislation in this sphere, at the request of the current Government. That is expected to report shortly. We will consider those recommendations and, if need be, find legislative time to execute those recommendations. I will ensure that the Intelligence and Security Committee is kept fully briefed.

[Lord Polak (Con)]

My Lords, I register an interest: along with the noble Lord, Lord Alton, I have been sanctioned by the Iranian regime. Our ambassador in Tehran was called in because a flag of the Iranian opposition was put up on the embassy here in London. I am glad to hear that the Iranian ambassador is being called in as a result of what is going on, but why are we so slow? On the IRGC, we deliberate, speculate and discuss; we do not act. Hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent Iranians are being mowed down. Can I ask the Minister to encourage the Government to act and not just talk?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

With due respect to the noble Lord, I do not think that the 550 Iranian citizens who have been sanctioned by this Government would say that we have acted slowly. They are facing travel bans and financial freezing of their assets, and those 550 individuals known to this Government have a marker against them. I do not think we are taking it in the way in which the noble Lord described. We have summoned the ambassador, we have made representations at a UK level to the foreign office in Iran this week, and we will continue to take action. It is important that we do, because the Iranian regime is a malign force that is taking appalling actions in Iran and is a threat to nationals elsewhere in Europe and the United Kingdom. We have to take action on that, and we will, but proscription is an issue still under review.

[Baroness O’Loan (CB)]

My Lords, is the Minister aware that the IRGC in Iran is accountable only to Ayatollah Khamenei and nobody else, and that in the past two weeks it has killed more than 3,000 people, according to the estimations of the Iranian resistance? Is he also aware that Erfan Soltani, who is 26 years old and was taken from his house six days ago, is due to be executed tomorrow? When the Iranian ambassador comes, could he express the strongest condemnation of this proposed action and call for it not to happen and for there not to be a mass execution of those who are protesting for freedom and democracy in Iran at the present time?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

The noble Baroness will be aware of the Government’s long-standing position that we are opposed to capital punishment. I will make sure that her remarks in relation to the individual, whom I am aware of because of press reports in the last few hours, are drawn to the attention of the Foreign Secretary. My noble friend the Minister for the Foreign Office is next to me, and she will be able to assess what and how representations are made to the Iranians in that respect.