The United Kingdom has blamed an Iran-linked proxy group for a series of antisemitic arson attacks against British Jewish sites, leading the government to ban Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and implement expansive new powers to combat foreign-backed sabotage.
British officials stated that the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR) has claimed responsibility for seven attacks this year, targeting Jewish and Israeli-linked locations as well as a Persian-language media outlet critical of the Iranian government. According to the U.K. government, members of the IRGC’s elite Qods Force are “almost certainly” directing the group’s European operations.
The attacks involved arson at synagogues, Jewish charity ambulances, and various community sites across London; no injuries were reported during these incidents.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts a reception with the Jewish community to discuss efforts to tackle antisemitism, at Downing Street, in London, July 13, 2026. (Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool)
Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized that the new measures serve as a warning to foreign adversaries attempting to incite violence within the country.
“We will never allow Britain to become a playground for states seeking to spread fear, division, and violence on our streets,” Starmer stated. “Anyone acting on behalf of those who threaten our national security should be in no doubt that there is no place for you in Britain.”
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer discusses efforts to tackle antisemitism at Downing Street in London, Monday, July 13, 2026. (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool Photo via AP)
If approved by Parliament later this week, individuals caught conducting sabotage—including arson—on behalf of the IRGC, IMCR, or Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps could face life imprisonment. Assisting or supporting these groups could result in prison sentences of up to 14 years.
The British government noted that the new authorities, established under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026, will simplify the prosecution process by removing the requirement to prove a direct foreign government connection in every individual case.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood accused both Tehran and Moscow of employing criminal proxies to conduct hostile operations on British soil.
“Iran and Russia are using proxies and thugs to do their dirty work on our shores,” Mahmood said. “I have rapidly designated three groups so that those working for them will be tracked down and imprisoned.”
The government reported that the IMCR emerged online earlier this year and has also claimed responsibility for attacks on synagogues in Belgium and the Netherlands. British intelligence officials observe that Iran-backed proxies are increasingly recruiting from criminal organizations to execute sabotage, intimidation, and physical assaults across Europe, frequently targeting Jewish communities and Iranian dissidents.
Charred remains of ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, which were set on fire in an incident that the police say is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, in London, March 23, 2026. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
According to the U.K., MI5 has identified at least 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots against individuals in Britain over the last year. The government has already sanctioned over 550 Iranian-linked entities and individuals and has committed £250 million ($334,662,500) over three years to bolster security for Jewish communities, including enhanced protection for schools, synagogues, and community centers.
Britain has also designated Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps, stating the group acts as a proxy for Russian military intelligence by utilizing online recruitment to carry out arson, sabotage, and other hostile activities.
This crackdown follows the recent sentencing of two Romanian men for the stabbing of a journalist working for a Persian-language television station in London—an attack a British judge ruled was conducted on behalf of the Iranian state.
Iran did not immediately respond to the announcement, according to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
