Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick has called on the Government to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.
The former minister described the IRGC, which is considered by Western allies to be a key part of Iran’s destabilising force in the Middle East, as the “world’s chief sponsor of terror”.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Jenrick said Labour had dithered on Iran and urged Sir Keir Starmer to take action.
“In opposition, Sir Keir’s party repeatedly made a virtue of its promise to proscribe, or ban, the IRGC, designating it a terrorist organisation,” he said.
“David Lammy told how Labour’s government would ban the IRGC, again and again. Now, he tells us climate change is a bigger threat.”
He said proscribing the IRGC would allow the UK to crack down on groups linked to the organisation.
“To fail to stop Iran in its tracks only stores up bigger problems,” he wrote. “It’s a lesson the world has learned to its cost before”.
Mr Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, announced sanctions against IRGC-affiliated people and entities earlier this month.
He told the House of Commons: “We’ve sanctioned over 400 Iranian individuals and entities and through our work with partners, we are exposing and containing Iran’s destabilising weapons development, where soon we’ll be introducing further regulations to bolster existing bans on the export of goods and technology significant to Iran’s production of drones and missiles.”
Mr Jenrick was among Conservatives who called for the organisation to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, but then-foreign secretary Lord Cameron said in April that such a move “would effectively end diplomatic relations” with Iran.
“When it comes to delivering a very direct message to the Iranians… I want to have that conversation myself, I don’t want to ring up my French counterpart and say ‘could you message the Iranians with this message?’,” Lord Cameron said at the time.
“I think that is not in Britain’s interest, that wouldn’t strengthen our approach, in many ways it would weaken it.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel