Britain must torpedo Iran’s terror army and ban the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to MPs and peers from across the party spectrum. Bob Blackman, who chairs the powerful 1922 group of backbench MPs, is leading the call to “get tough on Tehran” and break up Iran’s nuclear programme.
More than 550 MPs and peers are understood to back the call to proscribe the IRGC, which is considered a “primary force” behind Iranian oppression at home and intimidation and violence abroad. The parliamentarians warn that appeasing the regime will betray democratic values.
Mr Blackman said: “It is time to change course on Iran policy. We should align our policy with the major shifts that have occurred in Iran and the region…
“Our ally, the US, rightly designated the IRGC as a terrorist entity several years ago. While the regime has never been weaker, we must set aside all wrong-headed political and diplomatic calculations and proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist entity — an action long overdue.
“In confronting Tehran’s nuclear weapons programme, we cannot afford to sleepwalk. We should activate UN Security Council resolutions and demand the total dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme before the mullahs acquire the bomb.”
Former Brexit minister David Jones added: “The extent of support for this cross-party initiative shows a growing consensus among UK politicians that the time for a new policy on Iran has arrived. No more procrastination — it only aggravates the problem.”
Among those backing the call for the IRGC to be banned are former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron and former Labour leader Lord Kinnock.
In a statement, the opponents of the regime say: “In the 2022 uprising, the people of Iran rejected all forms of dictatorship, whether monarchical or theocratic, and demanded a democratic republic. Appeasing this faltering regime betrays democratic values, emboldens its repressive policies, and undermines global security as Tehran continues its nuclear ambitions and terrorism.”