Iran Lists British Navy, Air Force as Terrorist Organizations
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has listed Britain’s MI6 as a hostile group and put the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force on its terrorist list, citing British conduct.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday, that it has designated Britain’s foreign intelligence service, MI6, as a hostile group and placed the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force on its lists of terrorist organizations, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA.
In a statement issued in Tehran, the ministry described the steps as countermeasures against British intelligence and military institutions.
It said they respond to what it called the hostile policies of the British government, London’s involvement in the US- and Israel-backed conflict against Iran, and its decision to subject the Islamic Revolutionary Guards to the state threats law.
The ministry said the decision rests on a ruling by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. It framed the measures as a response to British conduct over the past year, including military and logistical support provided within the framework of what it called the war imposed on Iran, through British facilities and bases. It also cited London’s decision to place the Islamic Revolutionary Guards under the state threats law.
Under the first measure, MI6 is classified as a hostile group under Article 1, Note 2 of the law on Tightening Punishments for Espionage and Cooperation with the Zionist Entity and Hostile Countries against National Security and Interests. All provisions and measures set out in that law will apply to the agency.
Under the second, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force are added to the lists of terrorist organizations as of Nov. 1, the date the statement was published.
The ministry said this was done under the law titled the US Response to the Declaration of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards as a Terrorist Organization.
The ministry condemned what it described as hostile British practices, saying they violate the principles of the UN Charter and international law, particularly those concerning state sovereignty and the prohibition of unlawful interference.
It stressed that the Iranian government is determined to take all necessary measures to protect the country’s national security and supreme interests.
The ministry concluded that the measures comply with international legal standards and the principle of reciprocity. It stated that the British government bears full responsibility for the consequences of its decisions.