The UK Government has unveiled plans to strengthen its national security framework by introducing new legislation aimed at confronting hostile state threats, following the charging of three Iranian nationals with espionage offences.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the proposed measures in the House of Commons on Monday, citing the need to address “grave wider issues” affecting the country’s safety. The new powers will specifically target state-based groups such as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), enabling the Government to proscribe these entities and introduce criminal penalties for supporting them.
“The Iranian regime poses an unacceptable threat to our domestic security which cannot continue,” Ms Cooper told MPs. “We will draw up new powers, modelled on counter-terrorism laws, to tackle state-based threats and ensure our legislation reflects the nature of modern security challenges.”
This follows a review by terrorism watchdog Jonathan Hall KC, who concluded that current terrorism laws, including the Terrorism Act 2000, are ill-suited to dealing with state actors. Hall noted that the legislation was never designed to regulate the conduct of foreign governments or their agents and advised a new legal approach under the National Security Act 2023.
Hall recommended that notices be issued against hostile foreign intelligence services or their proxies, as a means of “naming and shaming” them internationally while also placing them under threat of UK legal action, including arrest, prosecution, or deportation. He further suggested creating specific criminal offences for those who support or promote these entities, including displaying their symbols or logos.
Additional proposals under review include expanded police powers to stop and search at sensitive locations, establish cordons, and seize passports—measures currently available only in counter-terrorism investigations.
While welcoming the move, critics questioned the delay in proscribing the IRGC. Conservative MP Chris Philp pressed the Home Secretary on why the organisation has not yet been formally designated, while Reform UK’s Richard Tice called on the Government not to “kick the can down the road”.
Ms Cooper responded by pointing to the legal limitations identified by Mr Hall, noting, “It’s important that any legislation we apply is actually effective and doesn’t unravel under scrutiny.”
The announcements came in the wake of charges brought against three Iranian men—Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55—who are accused of acting in the interests of the Iranian intelligence service. They were remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
All three face charges of engaging in conduct likely to assist Iranian intelligence between August 2024 and February 2025. Sepahvand is additionally charged with conducting surveillance, reconnaissance, and open-source research with the intent to carry out serious violence. Manesh and Noori are accused of similar actions intended to enable others to commit serious violence within the UK.
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The Foreign Office summoned Tehran’s ambassador to express Britain’s “strongest objections” following the arrests. “The UK Government is clear that protecting national security remains our top priority and Iran must be held accountable for its actions,” said a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
In response, Iran summoned the British charge d’affaires in Tehran, claiming the arrests were “illegal and unjustified” and politically motivated. Iran’s state-run media described the detentions as violations of international law.
The court heard that the men entered the UK by irregular means, including via small boats and in a lorry, between 2016 and 2022. They are due to appear at the Old Bailey for a preliminary hearing on 6 June.
With tensions escalating and pressure mounting on the Government to respond decisively, the proposed legislation signals a shift in how the UK intends to combat the growing threat of foreign interference and espionage on its soil.
