I’ve been warning about the Iran menace for years - Yahoo

A diplomatic encounter at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month has ignited a furious political row across Westminster. Labour’s Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, met, shook hands, and posed for a friendly picture with Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi. According to reports, the brief meeting included discussions about the ongoing war in the Middle East involving the United States. A government readout released after the encounter stated that Miliband told Araghchi that Britain will not tolerate intimidation, threats, or hostile activity on UK soil.

The photograph quickly became the centre of fierce domestic controversy. Reform UK's Treasury spokesperson, Robert Jenrick, posted the image on X with the caption claiming the country is governed by idiots. Jenrick later doubled down on social media after facing initial backlash, writing that his language was not quite right and arguing that the Foreign Secretary was actively undermining British interests. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also weighed in with criticism, telling the PA news agency that she was particularly concerned because the Foreign Secretary had been shaking hands with the Iranian foreign minister just days prior.

Media additions

Miliband defended the meeting, telling POLITICO that he was following the standard diplomatic practice of his predecessors, including David Cameron, David Lammy, and Yvette Cooper. Despite these defences, the photograph emerged against a backdrop of escalating tensions regarding the Iranian regime and its domestic proxies. The timing drew heightened scrutiny following a suspected bomb plot targeting RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Sunday, for which armed police responded. Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that there was a strong indication Iran played a part in the alleged terror plot.

The controversy has thrown renewed focus on the UK's long-running debate over whether to proscribe Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. In November 2024, Robert Jenrick demanded action at Prime Minister's Questions, asking Sir Keir Starmer if the time had come to proscribe the group. Starmer's response at the time was to keep the matter under review. Further pressure followed in May 2025 in relation to an Iranian national entering Britain illegally by boat, a point Jenrick raised again alongside warnings that hostile actors were entering the country. In March of this year, Jenrick noted on social media that the European Union had designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation last July, demanding that Britain follow suit. In June, Jenrick told The Telegraph that he had asked the government and the prime minister to take action, expressing anger that nothing was done and warning that terrorists were being let in with the intent to kill.

Critics of the government's approach have repeatedly questioned the official stance on state-sponsored entities. Business Secretary Peter Kyle admitted in January that the Labour Party views proscribing the IRGC like a domestic organisation as inappropriate because it is a state organisation. While support for the IRGC has been made illegal under new legislation granting powers to crack down on foreign state-backed activity, critics point out that this falls short of traditional proscription and carries more limited effects.

The political fallout has also touched past administrations. Questions have been raised over historical asylum decisions under Theresa May's government, when a top Hamas operative was granted asylum and allegedly planned atrocities from British soil, with Nick Timothy serving as her special adviser on counter-terrorism and asylum at the time. Timothy was recently promoted by Kemi Badenoch with a shadow justice brief.

As the debate intensifies, political figures continue to clash over national security and border policies, with calls mounting for the government to halt what critics describe as years of appeasement and finally proscribe the IRGC.