Iran

Lord Purvis of Tweed Excerpts

Thursday 5th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)]

My Lords, we must remark with great humility on the sacrifice that so many of those within Iran have made for the simple cause of seeking to have a Government that they wish to have. The Minister may recall that, on 15 January, I asked for clarification on the BBC World Service’s Persian radio service. I was delighted to receive from the BBC yesterday the news that an emergency lifeline BBC Persian radio service will be carried on, which is very good news indeed. Will the Minister restate the support for journalists in particular who are being persecuted by the regime? Secondly, I welcome the new sanctions that were announced this week, but there is currently a loophole, as the sanctions are on individuals. If the IRGC is proscribed then those who support the organisation, providing financial backing and external support, will be removed; without the proscription, there is that loophole. Will the Minister state that this is being actively looked at with urgency?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

It is. I thank the noble Lord for his comments about our support for the protesters. It is essential, when we have these discussions, that we are completely grounded in the experience of those brave young people taking to the streets in Tehran and elsewhere across the country. The courage with which they are making their case is astounding. On the issue of the World Service, again, the noble Lord is right that this is an incredibly important service, and we often overlook and understate its impact, so I am pleased that it can continue. On proscription, yes, we are proceeding in the way that I outlined in response to the earlier question. We have sanctioned members of the IRGC but, as the noble Lord says, if there are additional powers through the means of proscription, we need to make changes in order to do that, but we are acting fully along with the recommendations of the Hall piece of work.