In a debate at the House of Commons on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, British lawmakers across party lines condemned the Iranian regime’s growing campaign of repression and terrorism, following the arrest of eight Iranian nationals in one of the UK’s largest counter-terrorism operations in recent years.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis briefed Parliament on the arrests, calling them “some of the largest counter-state threats and counter-terrorism actions that we have seen in recent times.” While Jarvis praised security services for foiling the alleged plots, he acknowledged the wider pattern of malign Iranian activity: “Since January 2022, the police and MI5 had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots presenting potentially lethal threats.”
Parliamentarians used the debate to voice deepening alarm over the Iranian regime’s reach and to press the government for stronger measures.
Lisa Smart, Liberal Democrat MP, questioned the government’s hesitation to formally designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Citing earlier promises from ministers, she asked: “The IRGC is behaving like a terrorist organisation and must now be proscribed as such… If now is not the time for proscription, when should the House expect a further update?”
#Iran News: #UK Parliament Condemns Clerical Regime’s Role in Regional Destabilization Amid Houthi Strikeshttps://t.co/J3HIOX99WS
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 2, 2025
Labour’s Jon Pearce echoed the call for action, warning that “charities in the UK [are] being used as vehicles for the funding and organisation of terrorism” linked to Iran. He urged the government to “set out what steps are being taken to stop that organisation” and to conduct an audit of regime-linked assets in the UK.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the Iranian regime as a “state sponsor of terrorism” and called on the UK to press European allies to impose renewed sanctions: “This state sponsor of terrorism cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons.”
Throughout the debate, MPs warned of the Iranian regime’s campaign of transnational repression targeting dissidents abroad. Barry Gardiner highlighted fears among Iranian exiles, noting that Tehran “may use pressure” on families of Iranian nationals living in the UK.
#Iran News: UK Parliament Report Highlights Regime's Diminishing Influence in the #MiddleEasthttps://t.co/FAXf5AXz16
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 30, 2025
Jim Shannon, DUP MP for Strangford, delivered an impassioned defense of the Iranian diaspora, calling the clerical regime “decadent, violent, and evil.” He warned that Iranians who fled to the UK “by the skin of their teeth” continue to face threats from Tehran’s agents, and he urged the government to guarantee protection for Iranian dissidents in Britain: “They have genuine fears and concerns… The regime is so decadent, violent, and evil, they cannot return.”
Paul Waugh, MP for Rochdale, framed the struggle against Tehran as part of a broader global fight: “Britain is at war with a modern enemy: the fascism of Islamist extremism and state-sponsored terrorism. We will never surrender to such terrorism or to its ideology.”
Calls for proscribing the IRGC dominated the debate, as MPs expressed frustration at delays. Security Minister Jarvis responded that the government is “considering very carefully” a report by Jonathan Hall, KC, on legislative options: “We will not hesitate to act if there is a requirement to bring forward further measures.”
The debate underscored Parliament’s rising concern that Iran’s clerical dictatorship continues to export repression and terror far beyond its borders—and that the UK must respond with tougher action to confront Tehran’s growing threat.