Iran has denounced the U.K.’s accusations that Tehran attempted to threaten London’s national security, according to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press release.
Newsweek reached out to the Iranian Mission to the United Nations for comment via email outside of business hours. Newsweek also reached out to the U.K.’s immigration and security agency, the Home Office, for comment via email.
Iranian Spokesman Esmail Baghaei speaking during a press conference in Tehran, Iran on October 28, 2024.
Iranian Spokesman Esmail Baghaei speaking during a press conference in Tehran, Iran on October 28, 2024.
ATTA KENARE/Getty Images
Why It Matters
The U.K. and Iran have had a historically contentious relationship, with many of their issues revolving around Tehran’s possession of nuclear weapons, and London’s designation of Iran as a serious foreign threat will only increase tensions between the two nations.
What To Know
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has refuted the U.K.’s allegations that Tehran has attempted to threaten London’s national security and deemed them baseless.
In this statement, the U.K.’s allegation that Iran is referring to is London’s announcement that it will place Tehran on an elevated tier of scrutiny due to allegations of foreign influence, according to Reuters.
U.K. Security Minister Dan Jarvis announced that London will place Iran, its security services, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the enhanced tier of a new registration “scheme” so that Tehran will be required to register all of its activities that it conducts to exert political influence in the U.K.
The new “scheme” known as the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) is expected to launch in the summer and is meant to protect the U.K. from foreign influence from certain countries and organizations.
The two-tier FIRS scheme requires that “only those in arrangements with foreign powers” must register, rather than foreign powers themselves, according to the U.K. government’s fact sheet. It also includes exemptions for “news publishers (political influence tier only), legal activities carried out by a lawyer, diplomats and their family members and those in an arrangement to which the U.K. is party.”
Rejecting the U.K.’s placement of Iran in the enhanced tier, Baghaei reiterated Iran’s “commitment to the principles of the UN Charter and international law, particularly the principles of mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries as well as respect for international rules and regulations.”
Baghaei went on to affirm that the accusations are false, and that they are a “deliberate form of projection by a government that has a long history of harmful interventions against the Iranian people and that currently does not miss any opportunity to host and support anti-Iran terrorist groups.”
The Iranian spokesman advised British officials to cease making accusations of this nature against Tehran, and “stop promoting terrorism instead of insisting on confrontational policies.”
Tehran has a history of targeting individuals in the U.K., and in October 2024, London’s domestic spy chief Ken McCallum said that since January 2022, MI5 and British police have responded to 20 Iran-backed plots “presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents,” Reuters reported.
What People Are Saying
Regarding Iran’s new placement on the enhanced tier, Jarvis said: “The Iranian regime is targeting dissidents, and it is targeting media organizations and journalists reporting on the violent oppression of the regime.”
He added: “(Iran) has become increasingly emboldened, asserting itself more aggressively to advance their objectives and undermine ours. This is evidenced by the fact that direct action against UK targets has substantially increased over recent years. It is clear that these plots are a conscious strategy of the Iranian regime to stifle criticism through intimidation and fear. These threats are unacceptable. They must and will be defended against at every turn.”
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Home Office wrote: “The number of state threat investigations run by MI5 has jumped by 48% in the last year. Countries like Iran use proxies to carry out lethal plots on UK soil – we must act. Those carrying out activity for Iran in the UK must declare it or risk facing up to 5 years in prison.”
Christine Jardine, Scottish Liberal Democrat and a member of parliament, wrote on X: “The threat posed to democracies across the world by Iran is growing every day. The Government is right to monitor Iran’s activity in the UK, but must go further to keep our communities safe.”
What Happens Next
The exact date the U.K.’s new registration scheme will be implemented is unknown.