Will the UK proscribe Iran’s revolutionary guard?

Why won’t the government proscribe the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps? MPs have been asking that question for more than a year now, but it has gained impetus since the Hamas attack on Israel, given the suspicion that Iran has been aiding Hamas. So far, the line from the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary has merely been that the government never comments on sanctions or which organisations are being considered for proscription.

But today at Foreign Office questions in the Commons, James Cleverly offered a little more insight, presumably because the parliamentary pressure is growing. A number of MPs asked why nothing had yet been done, including Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, who has spoken movingly about her family in Gaza. She asked ‘why have we yet to proscribe the IRGC [the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps]? Surely it was time back a year ago, but surely now, what’s the excuse for waiting?’

Cleverly replied: ‘We are well aware of Iran’s influence.