The United Kingdom is on the verge of granting its authorities expansive new powers to counter foreign state-affiliated organizations, amid rising concerns over threats posed by Iran and other adversarial nations.
On Tuesday, the UK government introduced the National Security (State Threats) Bill, which aims to equip officials with enhanced capabilities to tackle foreign state-linked entities engaged in activities such as assassination plots, espionage, and sabotage. While there has been speculation about its application to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), officials have yet to confirm any specific designations.
This legislative move follows warnings from British intelligence about the increasing presence of Iran-backed operations within the UK. Last year, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum revealed that the agency had identified over 20 potentially deadly plots linked to Iran and observed a 35% rise in state-related threat investigations.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood recently convened with security and justice officials at 10 Downing Street. The proposed legislation could target foreign state-affiliated groups, potentially including Iran’s IRGC.
According to the new bill, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood would gain the authority to label certain organizations as responsible for “foreign power threat activity.” Associating with these designated groups or receiving funds from them could result in prison terms of up to 14 years.
British authorities have also investigated possible Iranian links to several recent incidents, including arson attacks targeting Jewish sites. The UK has separately secured convictions against individuals accused of spying for or acting on behalf of Russian and Chinese entities.
The bill would create a new framework for tackling threats posed by foreign governments and their proxies, an area critics say Britain’s existing counterterrorism laws were not designed to address.
Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, attends a meeting in Tehran in this file photo. Britain this week introduced legislation that could be used to designate foreign state-linked groups, including potentially Iran’s IRGC. (Press office of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei/Getty Images)
Labour MP Luke Akehurst, one of Parliament’s leading advocates for action against the IRGC, said the organization presents a unique challenge because it operates as part of the Iranian state.
“As well as brutally repressing freedoms within Iran, the IRGC poses a dangerous threat here in the UK, which our existing terrorism proscription regime was ill-equipped to deal with as it is a state actor,” Akehurst told The Jerusalem Post.
The Thames House headquarters of MI5 in London on Nov. 18, 2025. Britain’s domestic security service has warned of growing state-backed threats, including more than 20 Iran-backed plots uncovered in the UK, as lawmakers consider new legislation targeting foreign state-linked groups. (Betty Laura Zapata/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Supporters of the legislation argue it would close gaps in Britain’s ability to target hostile state-backed actors without relying solely on terrorism laws.
If approved, the legislation could take effect as soon as next month, with officials expected to make a limited number of designations during the law’s first year.
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