U.K. says an Iran-backed group was behind attacks on Jewish community, bans Revolutionary Guard

Key Points:

• The U.K. government has identified a proxy group backed by Iran, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR), as responsible for a series of arson and vandalism attacks on Jewish sites in Britain.
• The government has banned both the IMCR and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, with Security Minister Angela Eagle stating that the IMCR claimed seven attacks, including fires at synagogues, Jewish charity ambulances, and a Persian-language media organization.
• The IMCR is believed to be directed by members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, which is responsible for orchestrating similar attacks across Europe, including in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• Intelligence officials report a rise in Iran-backed proxy group attacks in Europe, targeting Jewish communities and Persian-language media critical of Iran, often using criminal networks to carry out these operations.
• Recently, two Romanian men were sentenced for stabbing a journalist from a Persian-language TV station in an attack linked to the Iranian state; Iran has not commented on these developments.