Iran: Support for Terrorism

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – in the House of Commons at on 22 October 2024.

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Photo of Jonathan Davies Jonathan Davies Labour, Mid Derbyshire

What steps his Department is taking to counter Iranian support for terrorism.

Photo of Hamish Falconer Hamish Falconer Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Office works closely with our allies and partners to counter Iran’s support for proscribed groups, which include Hamas—as many Members have mentioned—as well as Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. We currently have over 400 sanctions in place on Iran in response to its human rights violations, nuclear escalation and terrorism. We also continue to hold Iran publicly accountable for its direct support of terrorism, as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did in his Intervention at the Security Council on 25 September.

Photo of Jonathan Davies Jonathan Davies Labour, Mid Derbyshire

Iran’s malign activity and support for its proxies is destabilising the middle east. Does the Minister agree that this must end, and will he say a little more about what steps he is taking?

Photo of Hamish Falconer Hamish Falconer Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I do agree. In all of our efforts in the region, we are clear that Hamas and the other Iranian proxies that are doing so much to destabilise the region must stop. We are working with our allies to that effect, including by reviewing new measures that we can take.

Photo of Suella Braverman Suella Braverman Conservative, Fareham and Waterlooville

For years, the Foreign Secretary and the Labour party have promised to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the chief sponsor of global terrorism. Are the Government going to take action to tackle terrorism and extremism in the UK, or are they going to break yet another promise?

Photo of Hamish Falconer Hamish Falconer Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As I understand the question from the former Home Secretary, she is saying that when she was Home Secretary she did not proscribe the IRGC, but she thinks we should have done so within 100 days. I say to my hon. Friends that we will take the necessary steps in the UK to prevent the IRGC from taking action on these streets, but as she knows well, we do not comment on whether an organisation is under consideration for proscription in the normal way.

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