Calls are intensifying across the British political spectrum for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, The Telegraph reported on Sunday, amid the regime’s escalating crackdown on pro‑democracy protests.
The IRGC, described by critics as the ayatollahs’ “terror army," has taken a leading role in suppressing demonstrations across Iran. More than 500 protesters have been confirmed killed since the unrest began, though the real toll is believed to be far higher.
The protests, now entering their third week, have triggered widespread internet blackouts and are seen as the most serious challenge to the regime since 2019.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered the IRGC to take charge of the crackdown, prompting US President Donald Trump to warn he could “get involved" if the killing of protesters continues.
In London, more than 1,000 demonstrators rallied in Whitehall on Sunday, calling for “Iranian freedom" and urging the Government to ban the IRGC, according to The Telegraph.
Senior Labour figures have joined leading Conservatives and Reform UK members in demanding proscription. Labour has so far resisted, arguing that outlawing the IRGC - an official branch of Iran’s armed forces - would effectively sever diplomatic ties with Tehran.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith wrote in The Telegraph that the IRGC is “the key tool of the ayatollahs in enforcing their control" and must be banned.
He added, “Any claim by the Foreign Office that by not proscribing the IRGC gives them diplomatic influence is simply not borne out by events.
“Well-meaning platitudes simply don’t work. It is time for the UK to increase the protection of our citizens at home whilst sending a strong, clear message to those who hope for a better future in Iran by proscribing the IRGC today."
Tom Tugendhat, a member of the Conservative Party, who served as security minister, said his party should have acted earlier. “My own view is that the IRGC…is a standalone organisation, so I believe we should have proscribed it. I made that argument when I was in government," he told Sky News.
While the Conservatives do not currently support proscription, opposition leader Kemi Badenoch suggested she could back Western military action in support of the protesters. Asked about intervention, she said, “The calculation always has to be about our national interest."
Reform UK has also backed proscription, with Nigel Farage urging Starmer to “stand up to the ayatollah." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has likewise called for the IRGC to be banned.