British Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati has called the United Kingdom's formal plans to ban support for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "the happiest day of my life since I was stabbed." The designation, approved by both houses of the U.K. Parliament, classifies the IRGC as a "threat to national security." Zeraati, who was stabbed in March 2024, stated that his primary concern was not the jail time for the convicted mercenaries involved, but rather countering the "main cause of it, the root of it, which is the Iranian regime and specifically the IRGC." He believes this move gives law enforcement significant leverage to track and monitor the source of threats originating from Tehran.
Under the new U.K. powers, providing support or assistance to the IRGC is now a criminal offense, carrying a penalty of up to 14 years in prison, equivalent to supporting designated terrorist organizations. Acts of sabotage on behalf of the group could result in life imprisonment.
Persian-speaking journalists in the West and their families in Iran have frequently been targets of threats and intimidation from the Iranian regime. As a prominent TV anchor for Iran International, a network critical of the Islamic Republic, Zeraati had received numerous death threats. His image appeared on billboards in Iran with accusations of being a "child killer," and a poster of him and his colleagues bore the words "Wanted: Dead or Alive." The hostility towards Iran International led to its designation as a terrorist organization within Iran.
In February 2022, due to "credible and immediate threats" against network staff, London's Metropolitan Police implemented security measures, including concrete barriers and a 24/7 armed presence, outside Iran International's studios. Within a year, the channel was compelled to suspend its U.K. operations and relocate temporarily to Washington, D.C.
The threat against Zeraati materialized in March 2024 as he walked from his south London home. Two men attacked him, one restraining him while the other stabbed him three times in the thigh. The assailants fled in a waiting car driven by a third individual, and the trio immediately left the U.K. Zeraati required emergency treatment for serious injuries.
Despite the attack, Zeraati returned to work at Iran International's London studios within a week, stating, "Of course, the goal was to silence me, first of all. But it wasn't successful because, since that day, I am more determined to continue what I am doing." He now anchors his show remotely from outside the U.K. due to safety concerns.
British prosecutors revealed that the stabbing was the result of months of planning and surveillance, with at least one suspect having previously surveilled Zeraati's property. Communication data showed repeated contact between the suspects and a third party, and financial evidence indicated that the defendants' expenses were funded by external accounts. In early July 2026, two Romanian nationals, Nandito Badea and George Stana, received sentences of 12 and eight years, respectively, for their involvement in the attack. A third man is facing domestic criminal proceedings in Romania.
In the year leading up to October 2025, the U.K.'s domestic spy agency, MI5, identified at least 20 Iran-linked plots targeting individuals in the U.K. These plots, along with attacks on Jewish communities, were significant factors in the U.K. government's decision to designate the IRGC.
The IRGC, closely linked to the military and directly answerable to Iran's supreme leader, is central to the state's security apparatus. Its Quds Force is specifically tasked with directing foreign operations, including the targeting of dissidents abroad, such as Zeraati.
Alongside the IRGC, the U.K. has also proscribed the Islamic Companions of the Right (IMCR), a group believed to have claimed responsibility for attacks on U.K. and European locations linked to Jewish communities, including an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the global Jewish medical organization United Hatzalah in London. The British government now assesses that IMCR was almost certainly directed by members of the IRGC's Quds Force.
The United States designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019, followed by Canada in 2024 and the European Union in February 2026. The U.K.'s decision faced political contention due to concerns about its impact on diplomatic ties with Iran, with reports suggesting the U.K. foreign ministry feared the expulsion of the British ambassador to Iran.
Neil Basu, former head of U.K. Counter Terrorism Policing, described the U.K.'s move as a "totemic gesture which is good for politics internally and with international allies." He believes the new criminal offenses will help law enforcement combat the IRGC's "new statecraft methodology of recruiting petty criminals." Basu added that the severity of punishment and the elevated status of the issue as a national security priority, supported by intelligence agencies, would act as a significant deterrent.
Zeraati expressed cautious optimism about returning to the U.K., stating, "This is the first step, and I think it will lead to a safer U.K. And as soon as I see myself — in terms of the transnational repression threat — safer residing in the U.K., I wouldn't hesitate to go back." He believes the designation will make criminals think twice about working with the Iranian regime.
