UK to place Iran on highest tier of foreign influence register

By Sachin Ravikumar and William James

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Tuesday it would require the Iranian state to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK, subjecting Tehran to an elevated tier of scrutiny in light of what it said was increasingly aggressive activity.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said he would put Iran's state, its security services and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps into the enhanced tier of an upcoming registration scheme designed to protect against covert foreign influence.

"The Iranian regime is targeting dissidents, and it is targeting media organisations and journalists reporting on the violent oppression of the regime," Jarvis told parliament.

In November, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said since January 2022, his service and British police had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in the United Kingdom regarded by Tehran as a threat.

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), expected to launch in the summer, will require "the registration of arrangements to carry out political influence activities in the UK at the direction of a foreign power", a government briefing document said.

The "enhanced" tier of scrutiny allows a senior minister to require certain countries and organisations to register a broader range of activities to protect Britain's interests.

Failure to register when required to do so would be a criminal offence. The scheme does not prevent activities that are properly registered from taking place, the government said.

"(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," Jarvis said.

"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."

The Iranian embassy in London did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.

In 2023, an Austrian national was convicted of carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" against the London headquarters of Iran International, which is critical of Iran's government.

The following March, a British journalist of Iranian origin who worked for Iran International, sustained leg injuries in an attack near his home in London.

Counter-terrorism police led that investigation over concerns he was targeted because of his work at the television news network.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, writing by William James, editing by Paul Sandle and Ed Osmond)