Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current operational capabilities of the Iranian intelligence services in the UK.

Since the start of 2022, the UK has responded to over 20 Iran-backed plots presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents. We recognise the serious threat posed by the Iranian Intelligence Services and will not hesitate to take the most effective measures against the Iranian regime and its proxies.

Last year the Security Minister outlined the government’s response to the unacceptable threat we face from the Iranian state, and the steps we are taking to ensure that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to disrupt and degrade Iran’s malign activity on UK soil.

The National Security Act 2023 provides a significant toolkit for our intelligence services and law enforcement agencies in the fight against state threats, including those posed by Iran. This means that the UK is now a harder target for those states which seek to conduct hostile acts against the UK, including espionage, interference in our political system, sabotage and assassination.

The UK now has over 550 sanctions against Iranian linked individuals and entities, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which has been sanctioned in its entirety. Over 220 designations have been imposed since Government came into office reflecting our ongoing commitment to countering Iran’s malign activity and safeguarding British citizens.

We take the protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms and safety in the UK very seriously. We will continue to use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK, and its people, from any Iran-linked threats.