UK Law Targets Hostile State Proxies

The United Kingdom is implementing a new law to combat proxies acting on behalf of hostile states such as Iran, Russia, and China. This legislation, expected to take effect next month, aims to close gaps in existing laws to target state-linked organizations that use criminal groups for surveillance, sabotage, or other hostile activities. The move follows a rise in antisemitic attacks in London and an increase in state-threat investigations, with United Kingdom — Security Service reporting 20 potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots. Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized the government's commitment to holding foreign states accountable for actions that threaten lives or democratic institutions. The law will make it illegal to support or receive funds from designated proxies, carrying potential jail terms of up to 14 years. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, is implicated through its alleged direction of groups like Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, which has been accused of attacks against American and Israeli interests in Europe.