U.K. Links Iran to Wave of Antisemitic Attacks and Calls I.R.G.C. Terrorist Organization

The British government on Monday accused an arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of almost certainly directing a wave of attacks against Jews across Europe and took steps to designate the powerful security apparatus as a terrorist organization.

The decision gives the government additional national security powers to prevent terrorist attacks and foreign threats under a new law that includes criminal charges and stiffer prison sentences.

The move is part of Britain’s continued push to forcefully call out the Iranian threat to Britain. The Guards Corps has traditionally targeted critics of the Iranian regime but took a more ominous and violent turn after the start of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

“We will never let Britain be a playground for states who want to spread fear, division and violence on our streets,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.

While Britain participated in defensive strikes since the war began, this apparently did not stop Iran from retaliating against Jews in Britain, America’s closest ally.

An Iranian proxy called the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, or Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, targeted Jewish communities, journalists and Israeli interests in Britain and across Europe during a two-month stretch from March to May. It claimed responsibility for seven attacks in Britain.

Read more: New York Times