Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle hostile activities by the Iranian regime in the UK, in the context of recent reports of (a) threats to British journalists and human rights defenders by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and (b) the use UK-based banks to procure funds in breach of UK sanctions.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
We do not routinely comment on operational matters or specific threats. However, we take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously. We continually assess potential threats in the UK and use all tools at our disposal to protect the UK and our interests from any Iran-linked threats.
UK businesses – including banks – are expected to perform due diligence checks on all of their customers and clients to ensure compliance with all UK sanctions regulations.
The UK is committed to ensuring that our sanctions are robustly enforced, potential breaches are assessed, and appropriate action is taken where a breach is identified. Non-compliance with UK sanctions is a serious offence and punishable through disclosures, financial penalties, or criminal prosecution. Departments from across HMG – including FCDO, HMT, OFSI, HMRC, HO, and the NCA – are working together, and with UK companies, to ensure that sanctions are enforced.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to counter the work of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary has been clear that the malign activity of the Iranian regime, including that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is unacceptable. We have already sanctioned more than 400 Iranian individuals and entities, including the IRGC in its entirety - for roles in weapons proliferation, regional conflicts, human rights violations and threats to UK based individuals. In February, we utilised our new Iran sanctions regime to designate key units within the IRGC-QF and the Deputy Commander responsible for supporting or enabling the Houthi's hostile activity in the region. In January, the UK sanctioned IRGC officials responsible for targeting journalists in the UK.
We will continue to work tirelessly across government and with our international partners to deter Iran's, and the IRGC's, malign activity - including through holding Iran to account for breaches of maritime security; addressing weapons proliferation to non-state actors; and maintaining our permanent defence presence in the region.
Asked by: Jonathan Djanogly (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the activity of Iran-backed terror groups in the West Bank.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We discuss all aspects of the current conflict with the Government of Israel.
The Foreign Secretary has also raised Iran's long-term support for proscribed groups directly with the Iranian Foreign Minister on 17 January and the UK's new sanctions regime designed to target Iran and its proxies' hostile activity came into force on 14 December. Iran must use its influence to curb attacks and deescalate regional tensions.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they are highlighting the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran, whether they are engaging with Afghan and Iranian women or organisations supporting them, and what practical steps they are taking in doing so.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has repeatedly condemned the oppressive measures faced by women and girls in Afghanistan and Iran, though the situation for women and girls in each country is different. In September, the Foreign Secretary hosted a roundtable with Iranian women's rights defenders, as part of our visible support in their call for change. On 11 March, I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon] spoke at an event on Afghanistan as part of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. We will continue to engage with women from both countries.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent Iranian media reports that Iran is supplying Hezbollah with ‘Almas’ anti-tank missiles.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We condemn Iran's destabilising political, financial, and military support to proscribed groups, including Lebanese Hizballah. We have made clear to Iran that it must cease proliferating advanced weapons systems throughout the region. We will continue to work to disrupt Iran's destabilising activity in Lebanon and the wider region, including by holding Iran to account in multilateral fora and through sanctions; addressing Iranian weapons proliferation; and strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the level of activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the UK.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
While we do not routinely comment on the detail of operational or intelligence matters, the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations.
The UK Government has long been clear about our concerns over the malign activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and we will continue to hold Iran and the IRGC to account. The UK has sanctioned the IRGC in its entirety and on the 29th January 2024 the UK and US announced new sanctions to tackle the domestic threat posed by the Iranian regime. The UK sanctioned 7 individuals and 1 organisation, including senior Iranian officials and members of organised criminal gangs who collaborate with the regime, in order to expose and disrupt Iran’s activities in the UK and overseas.
We continually assess potential threats in the UK and use all tools at our disposal to protect the UK and our interests from Iran-linked threats.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what support the Government is providing to people who have fled from Afghanistan to (a) Iran, (b) Pakistan and (c) other third countries.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since April 2021, the UK has disbursed over £600 million in aid to Afghanistan. This includes £17 million to support humanitarian organisations in Afghanistan's neighbouring countries. This has assisted Afghan migrants and asylum seekers moving across borders, and refugee and host communities in those countries.
We continue to monitor the situation. For those Afghan nationals eligible under ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) and ACRS (Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme) Pathway 3, the UK Government continues to provide discretionary support to those in Iran, Pakistan, and other third countries - this includes accommodation, food and medical care.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps through the Financial Action Task Force against Russia for violating sanctions on North Korea.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 23 February, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) expressed its concern about the growing financial connectivity of Russia with countries subject to countermeasures, namely North Korea and Iran, and the potential risks of proliferation financing, malicious cyber activities and ransomware attacks.
The UK’s recent joint statement (12 January 2024) is clear that Russia’s procurement of North Korean ballistic missiles and their use against Ukraine violate multiple UNSCRs. Actively facilitating the circumvention of UNSCR 1718 and violating its prohibitions undermines the global fight against proliferation, the UN sanctions regime, and consequently the financial sanctions requirements of the FATF standards. The UK will continue to call out Russia’s violation of UNSCRs both at the UN and within the FATF.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans that all eligible under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will be relocated from (i) Iran, (ii) Pakistan and (iii) other third countries to the UK.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including over 21,600, people eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) schemes, as of September 2023. The Government is committed to relocating all eligible persons who remain in Pakistan and third countries as soon as possible, and have made significant progress in the last few months.
Asked by: Lord Pannick (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the United Kingdom’s relationship with South Africa, in light of the increasingly close links which that country has formed with Russia and with Iran.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We encourage South Africa to use their available channels, including the BRICS and their G20 Presidency preparations, to urge Russia to end its unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine and to make clear to Iran that Hamas has no role in a long-term political solution which delivers security for both Palestine and Israel.