Our Position is Clear: Iran Must Not Have Nuclear Weapons

UK Ambassador to Israel in Special Column on His Country's Measures Against the Threat from Tehran

The designation of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the As'hab al-Yamin al-Islamiya movement (HAYI) as state threats, the allocation of more than 250 million pounds sterling (more than a billion shekels) in additional funding for protecting the Jewish community in Britain, and military protection for our allies in the Middle East are only part of the expanded steps Britain is taking to counter Iran's hostile activity.

Britain has condemned the regime in Iran and acted consistently and resolutely against it, including by condemning the killing of protesters in the country and taking action against the regime's attempts to advance its nuclear program and its hostile activities worldwide.

This week Britain advanced two further steps. First, we are exercising new powers under the UK's new National Security (State Threats) Act and designating Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the As'hab al-Yamin al-Islamiya movement (HAYI) under this law as state threats. This follows the HAYI movement publicly claiming responsibility for seven attacks on sites in Britain linked to Jewish and Israeli communities. The attacks were almost certainly directed by the Revolutionary Guards.

Second, in response to the recent attacks against the Jewish community in Britain, we announced a new allocation of more than 250 million pounds sterling (more than a billion shekels) to provide an ongoing national response for protecting British Jews. The funding will support the recruitment of additional police officers, the establishment of a national investigation center, and training on antisemitism, as well as assistance to security services in thwarting terrorist attacks against the Jewish community in Britain.

Yet these new steps form only part of Britain's ongoing response to the threat from Iran.

In response to the recent attacks against the Jewish community in Britain, we announced a new allocation of more than 250 million pounds sterling (more than a billion shekels) to provide an ongoing national response for protecting British Jews

On the military front, we have acted to defend our partners from Iranian aggression. In April 2024, Royal Air Force jets participated in intercepting Iranian drones during the attack on Israel. In coordination with the United States, between January 2024 and May 2025 Britain conducted military operations against the Houthis in Yemen to disrupt their armed and unlawful attacks on vessels intended to restrict freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. During the recent conflict, Britain deployed air operations experts to assist regional partners in managing complex airspace, and British forces intercepted more than one hundred Iranian drones launched unlawfully toward allies in the region.

Britain also granted the United States permission to use its bases for the defensive and limited purpose of neutralizing Iranian missile capabilities used to harm innocent civilians, endanger British lives, and strike regional allies. In addition, together with France, Britain is leading preparations for a defensive multinational military mission that will help ensure safe, predictable, and uninterrupted passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz once a stable and lasting ceasefire agreement is reached.

Diplomatically, on 2 February 2026 Britain announced an additional package of sanctions against the regime in Iran, bringing the total number of British sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities to more than 550. These sanctions cover the entire Revolutionary Guards as well as senior regime figures in Iran. They complement the activation of the UN snapback mechanism on Iran in September 2025, undertaken jointly with France and Germany, which reinstated six previously lifted UN Security Council sanctions resolutions due to Iran's failure to meet its commitments under the nuclear agreement (JCPOA). The economic impact of these sanctions on the Iranian regime has been substantial, limiting its ability to finance hostile activities abroad.

Britain will always act to protect its citizens and allies from the threat posed by the regime in Iran. Our position is clear: the Iranian regime must not acquire nuclear weapons. It must cease its military attacks against its neighbors and allow freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. We will continue to highlight and condemn the regime's brutal repression and will take the necessary steps, together with our partners, to safeguard our shared interests.

Published: 00:00, 16.07.26