Rishi Sunak has faced renewed pressure to add Iran’s revolutionary guard to the list of banned terrorist organisations, as conflict in the Middle East continues.
Dr Liam Fox, Conservative former defence secretary, warned that while Hamas had its “fingers on the trigger” of the violence in Israel and Palestine, the “strings being pulled” are from Tehran.
He was joined by a host of influential Tories in calling for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a special Iranian military force, to be proscribed as a terrorist group.
Dr Fox told the Commons: “If the fingers on the trigger were Hamas, the strings being pulled were from Tehran.
“With £100 million of investment going from Iran to the terrorists of Hamas, isn’t it time that we in this country asked again why Iranian banks are operating from the City of London?
“Why Iran Air is operating from Heathrow Airport? And why again we have not proscribed the IRGC, as I believe we should have?”
Conservative chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns, called on the Government to proscribe the IRGC and called for the creation of a special envoy for the Middle East peace process.
She said the attack on Israel “constituted crimes against humanity”, but stressed that how Israel defeats Hamas “will shape the region’s future”.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey meanwhile branded the IRGC the “the funders of Hamas”.
Conservative MP Bob Blackman (Harrow East) told the Commons the operation “by the terrorist group Hamas was clearly well-planned, well-resourced, well-equipped and had been planned for many months”.
He added: “It is beyond belief that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps who fund and support Hamas were not behind this whole operation.
“So will he now take the action that the whole House has asked him to take and that’s to proscribe the IRGC in its entirety?”
The Government has a long-standing policy of not commenting on whether specific organisations are being considered for proscription and our approach ... is completely aligned with that of our allies— Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
The Prime Minister replied: “We have already taken strong action against the Iranian regime including sanctioning 350 different individuals and entities, including the IRGC in its entirety and furthermore, the National Security Act implements new measures to protect the British public, including new offences for espionage, foreign interference and tougher powers to arrest and detain people suspected of involvement in state threats.
“As the House knows, the Government has a long-standing policy of not commenting on whether specific organisations are being considered for proscription and our approach, as currently stated, is completely aligned with that of our allies.”
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, it is illegal to belong to an organisation that has been proscribed.
Hamas was added to the list of banned terrorist organisations in 2021 and its supporters or members can face up to 14 years in jail according to the Government.
