Tag Archives: iran protests

Iran: back the people, isolate the regime

Britain should stand with Iran’s protesters, not the regime. That means targeted pressure, democratic solidarity, and practical steps that actually bite.

Here’s what those practical steps should look like:

Proscribe the IRGC

We must treat the Revolutionary Guard as the terrorist apparatus it is. This means proscribing the group and closing loopholes that allow intimidation and fundraising networks to operate in Britain.

Expand targeted sanctions and sanction evasion

Britain must pursue the asset freezes and travel bans of regime officials, security leaders, and enablers of the regime. To ensure these sanctions hit, greater emphasis must be placed on cracking down on attempts to evade them, including but not limited to shipping, insurers, shell companies, and financial networks facilitating revenue flows.

Supporting communication access

The UK government must work to ensure internet resilience across Iran by enabling access to satellite internet via lawful procurement routes, coordinating with international partners, and supporting trusted NGOs involved in distribution. The UK must also look into the use and funding of circumvention services that allow Iranians to continue using the internet, like Psiphon and Tor bridges. We must also look to pay for this infrastructure to keep it resilient against regime tampering and develop a rapid adaptation plan when the regime blocks a route.

Enabling NGOs to get the truth out

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 7 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • Rose Runswick
    Thank you for saying this, international law is our best hope for a fairer and more peaceful world, I worry the memory of why it came about in the first place i...
  • Tristan Ward
    Sanctions should absolutely continue, but the idea that Britain should not rearm is to repeat the mistakes of the 1930s. Appeasement is not an option....
  • Katharine Pindar
    Paul Barker: you are right, Paul, in the wider world we do seem largely invisible. That was for instance clear in today's Laura Kuennsberg show when, you could ...
  • tom arms
    The first known use of the phrase "May you live in interesting times" was towards the end of the 19th century when Joseph Chamberlain used it in several speech...
  • Andy Daer
    John is, of course, right to remind us all of the need to uphold international law. Today we've seen Trump congratulate the man he had previously distanced h...