UK Faces Rising, Unpredictable Threat from Iran
The British government must take additional steps to counter a “rising” and unpredictable threat from Iran, warns Parliament’s intelligence and security committee, citing concerns over assassinations, espionage, and cyber attacks.
Parliamentary Committee Findings
According to a new report, there has been a sharp increase in threats against those who oppose the Iranian regime living in the UK. The committee, tasked with overseeing Britain’s spy agencies, expressed significant concerns.
“Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK, UK nationals and UK interests,”
stated **Lord Beamish**, committee chair. He added that Iran has a high risk appetite and well-resourced intelligence services.
**Lord Beamish** also stated, “Iran is there across the full spectrum of all the kinds of threats we have to be concerned with.”
Government Response Criticized
The committee has accused the government of prioritizing crisis management and focusing too much on Iran’s nuclear program while ignoring other threats. They suggest that the national security threat from Iran requires increased resources and a long-term strategy.
Intelligence bodies informed the committee that, regarding the threat to the UK, Iran is “top of the Championship rather than the Premier League, but rising.”
Since the beginning of 2022, the physical threat to people in the UK has significantly increased in pace and number, especially toward dissidents, opponents of the Iranian regime, and Jewish and Israeli interests.
The report states that there have been at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap against British nationals or UK-based individuals since early 2022.
According to the report, the Homeland Security Group considers the threat of physical attack on individuals in the UK to be “the greatest level of threat we currently face from Iran,”
a threat comparable to that posed by Russia.
Motivations Behind Iranian Actions
The committee says that Iran sees the UK as collateral damage when handling internal matters, such as removing perceived enemies of the regime on UK soil, and does not view attacks on dissidents, Jewish, and Israeli targets in the UK as attacks on the UK.
Targeting of Iranian Media
The Home Secretary and MI5 told the committee that the increase in physical threats is primarily driven by the Iranian regime’s insecurity, which has been fueled by protests. According to the report, MI5 has observed “persistent targeting”
of Iranian media organizations operating in the UK, particularly Iran International, with BBC Persian and Manoto TV also being prominent targets.
Family members of BBC Persian journalists in Iran have reported severe harassment, including interrogation and threats related to their family members’ work for the organization. As of 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Iran was responsible for 15% of worldwide journalist imprisonments, underscoring a pattern of suppression against media outlets (CPJ 2023).
Recommendations and Government Stance
The 260-page report, part of an inquiry into national security issues related to Iran, has been reviewed by **Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer** and circulated among UK intelligence organizations. The government is required to respond within 60 days of publication. Recommendations include considering the proscription of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
A UK government spokesperson stated that the report “demonstrates the vital work”
of security and intelligence agencies in countering threats from states like Iran, adding, “This government will take action wherever necessary to protect national security, which is a foundation of our Plan for Change.”
The government has placed Iran on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme and introduced further sanctions against individuals and entities linked to Iran, bringing the total number of sanctions to 450. The government thanked the committee and promised a full response.
