Michael Lawler
05/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/13/2026 13:21
Chairman Lawler Pushes UK to Designate IRGC as a Terrorist Organization
Washington, D.C. - 5/13/26… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, joined Reps. Claudia Tenney (NY-24) and Brad Sherman (CA-32) in sending a bipartisan letter urging the United Kingdom to immediately proscribe Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Under President Donald Trump's first term, the United States designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization due to its role in orchestrating terrorism abroad, supporting proxy groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and carrying out plots targeting Americans and U.S. officials. The letter calls on the UK government to join the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union in applying maximum pressure on the IRGC and the Iranian regime.
"The Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in standing up to a brutal regime that uses the IRGC to suppress dissent at home and export terror abroad. The United Kingdom should move without further delay to formally proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organization and stand in solidarity with the thousands of innocent Iranians who have risked and, in many cases, lost their lives in pursuit of freedom," said Congressman Lawler.
"The United States and our allies must remain united in applying maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and holding the IRGC accountable for its violence, repression, and destabilizing activities around the world," concluded Congressman Lawler.
In the letter, the lawmakers cite growing evidence of Iranian-backed hostile activity across Europe and the United Kingdom, including alleged links to anti-Semitic firebomb attacks, cyber operations, assassination plots, and intimidation campaigns targeting dissidents and critics of the Iranian regime.
"The IRGC is one of the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations and has the blood of innocent civilians, Americans, and dissidents on its hands. The Iranian regime continues to export terrorism, threaten our allies, and brutally suppress its own people through the IRGC and its proxy networks. The United Kingdom should immediately join the United States and our allies in formally designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization and send a clear message that the free world will not tolerate terrorism, political violence, or antisemitic attacks," said Congresswoman Tenney.
"Every day the British Parliament fails to vote on this legislation is another day that the IRGC evades the full impact of our nations' combined sanctions," said Congressman Sherman.
"For years, American Jewish Committee (AJC) and our Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) interparliamentary group have called on governments to recognize the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for what it is: a terrorist organization. The IRGC has repeatedly targeted Jewish communities on European soil and beyond, posing a direct and ongoing security threat. Recent actions by an increasing number of countries to blacklist the IRGC have created renewed momentum, and the United Kingdom (UK) should urgently align with the United States, the European Union, and other transatlantic partners. We welcome the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Brad Sherman, Claudia Tenney, and Michael Lawler in pressing the UK to act swiftly and follow suit," said Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee (AJC).
Under President Donald Trump's first term, the United States designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization due to its role in orchestrating terrorism abroad, supporting proxy groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and carrying out plots targeting Americans and U.S. officials. The letter calls on the UK government to join the United States, Canada, Australia, and the European Union in applying maximum pressure on the IRGC and the Iranian regime.
"The Iranian people have shown extraordinary courage in standing up to a brutal regime that uses the IRGC to suppress dissent at home and export terror abroad. The United Kingdom should move without further delay to formally proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organization and stand in solidarity with the thousands of innocent Iranians who have risked and, in many cases, lost their lives in pursuit of freedom," said Congressman Lawler.
"The United States and our allies must remain united in applying maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and holding the IRGC accountable for its violence, repression, and destabilizing activities around the world," concluded Congressman Lawler.
In the letter, the lawmakers cite growing evidence of Iranian-backed hostile activity across Europe and the United Kingdom, including alleged links to anti-Semitic firebomb attacks, cyber operations, assassination plots, and intimidation campaigns targeting dissidents and critics of the Iranian regime.
"The IRGC is one of the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations and has the blood of innocent civilians, Americans, and dissidents on its hands. The Iranian regime continues to export terrorism, threaten our allies, and brutally suppress its own people through the IRGC and its proxy networks. The United Kingdom should immediately join the United States and our allies in formally designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization and send a clear message that the free world will not tolerate terrorism, political violence, or antisemitic attacks," said Congresswoman Tenney.
"Every day the British Parliament fails to vote on this legislation is another day that the IRGC evades the full impact of our nations' combined sanctions," said Congressman Sherman.
"For years, American Jewish Committee (AJC) and our Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) interparliamentary group have called on governments to recognize the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for what it is: a terrorist organization. The IRGC has repeatedly targeted Jewish communities on European soil and beyond, posing a direct and ongoing security threat. Recent actions by an increasing number of countries to blacklist the IRGC have created renewed momentum, and the United Kingdom (UK) should urgently align with the United States, the European Union, and other transatlantic partners. We welcome the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Brad Sherman, Claudia Tenney, and Michael Lawler in pressing the UK to act swiftly and follow suit," said Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee (AJC).
The full letter can be found HERE.
Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.
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Michael Lawler published this content on May 13, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 13, 2026 at 19:21 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]