The Home Office has fast‑tracked legislative changes to prohibit support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, granting police and intelligence agencies expanded powers to disrupt and prosecute individuals acting on its behalf.
Those found guilty may face lengthy prison terms, loss of professional licenses, and further civil action under the new provisions.
Iran and its ally Hezbollah have long been blamed for the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people, and for the attack on a multinational force barracks in Lebanon that claimed 220 U.S. military lives.
Critics have urged the British government to close the Islamic Center of England, citing growing pressure on the new prime minister to confront Iranian influence within the country.
Officials have called on the administration to employ all available tools, including the new designation of the IRGC under the National Security Act, to dismantle extremist networks linked to the regime across Britain. They argue that charities, mosques, and centers engaged in IRGC‑related activities should be shut down and non‑British staff deported without delay.
The center’s imam, who represents the Iranian supreme leader in the U.K., has repeatedly expressed extremist views sympathetic to the IRGC. Despite this, he remains in the country and holds trustee positions in several British charities, a status that could be revoked if he does not possess a diplomatic passport.
The IRGC is said to have established a soft‑power infrastructure throughout Britain under the guise of charitable and religious institutions, aiming to foster home‑grown Islamist radicalization, terrorism, and violent acts. The strategy reportedly mirrors tactics used by ISIS and al Qaeda, yet the British government has not taken decisive action to counter it.
Iranian agents have targeted dissidents in Britain for years; recently, two Romanian nationals were jailed for stabbing a journalist linked to an independent Iranian news outlet. Tehran has consistently denied any involvement, labeling the allegations as politically motivated.
Experts warn that if the IRGC were to provoke attacks in Britain, it could mobilize a radicalized Islamist constituency to carry out home‑grown violence, providing the regime with plausible deniability and complicating attribution, thereby reducing the likelihood of direct retaliation.
The Islamic Center of England states that it is an independent registered charity governed by English charity law and regulated by the Charity Commission. It is not an official office or representative of any government, political entity, or individual.
It also notes that it holds a Home Office sponsor license, allowing it to sponsor skilled workers in compliance with immigration regulations, and claims to operate fully within U.K. law and charitable objectives.
The prime minister’s office has referred the matter to the Home Office for further comments.
