Latest news with #ForeignInfluenceRegistrationScheme
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Iran threats in UK ‘significantly increased': intelligence watchdog
In respons from the UK alligations Tehran swiftly issued a 'categorical rejection of the unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations' .PHOTO:PEXELS Listen to article A United Kingdom parliamentary committee on Thursday blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts to kill or kidnap British-based individuals since 2022, saying the threat from Iran had 'significantly increased'. London's response has been too focused on 'crisis management', said parliament's intelligence and security committee, with concerns over Iran's nuclear programme dominating their attention too much. Tehran swiftly issued a 'categorical rejection of the unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations'. The committee's claims were 'baseless, irresponsible, and reflective of a broader pattern of distortion intended to malign Iran's legitimate regional and national interests', said its London embassy. The report comes after growing alarm in Britain at alleged Iranian targeting of dissidents, media organisations and journalists in the UK, including accusations of physical attacks. Read More: Iran demands end to UN 'double standards' for nuclear talks to resume Iran in March became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost Britain's national security against covert foreign influences. It requires all persons working inside the country for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard to register on a new list or face jail. 'Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK, UK nationals, and UK interests,' Kevan Jones, chairman of the watchdog committee, said in the report's conclusions. 'Iran has a high appetite for risk when conducting offensive activity and its intelligence services are ferociously well-resourced with significant areas of asymmetric strength.' Jones said it bolstered this through proxy groups, 'including criminal networks, militant and terrorist organisations, and private cyber actors' to allow for deniability. 'Willing and able' His committee's report said that while Iran's UK activity 'appears to be less strategic and on a smaller scale than Russia and China', it 'should not be underestimated'. The physical threat posed had 'significantly increased' in pace and volume, and was 'focused acutely on dissidents and other opponents of the regime' as well as Jewish and Israeli interests in the UK, it said. 'The Iranian Intelligence Services have shown that they are willing and able — often through third-party agents — to attempt assassination within the UK and kidnap from the UK,' the report said. Also Read:Iran's FM makes first post-war visit to Saudi Arabia 'There have been at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap against British nationals or UK-based individuals since the beginning of 2022.' Similarly, security minister Dan Jarvis said in March that Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service had tallied 20 Iran-backed plots 'presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents'. The watchdog committee took evidence for two years from August 2021 for its report, a period which saw Tehran implicated in a plot to kill two London-based Iran International television anchors. In March last year, one of the Persian-language outlet's journalists was stabbed outside his London home. Two Romanian men have been charged in relation to the attack and face extradition to the UK to stand trial. The counter-terrorism unit of London's Metropolitan Police led the investigation. Iran's charge d'affaires in the UK has said that the Tehran authorities 'deny any link' to the incident.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
UK faces ‘significantly increased' threats from Iran, warns report
Iran is the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the UK's Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. (EPA Images pic) LONDON : A UK parliamentary committee today blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts to kill or kidnap British-based individuals since 2022, saying the threat from Iran had 'significantly increased'. London's response has been too focused on 'crisis management', said parliament's intelligence and security committee, with concerns over Iran's nuclear programme dominating their attention too much. Tehran swiftly issued a 'categorical rejection of the unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations'. The committee's claims were 'baseless, irresponsible, and reflective of a broader pattern of distortion intended to malign Iran's legitimate regional and national interests', said its London embassy. The report comes after growing alarm in Britain at alleged Iranian targeting of dissidents, media organisations and journalists in the UK, including accusations of physical attacks. Iran in March became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost Britain's national security against covert foreign influences. It requires all persons working inside the country for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard to register on a new list or face jail. 'Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK, UK nationals, and UK interests,' Kevan Jones, chairman of the watchdog committee, said in the report's conclusions. 'Iran has a high appetite for risk when conducting offensive activity and its intelligence services are ferociously well-resourced with significant areas of asymmetric strength.' Jones said it bolstered this through proxy groups, 'including criminal networks, militant and terrorist organisations, and private cyber actors' to allow for deniability. 'Willing and able' His committee's report said that while Iran's UK activity 'appears to be less strategic and on a smaller scale than Russia and China', it 'should not be underestimated'. The physical threat posed had 'significantly increased' in pace and volume, and was 'focused acutely on dissidents and other opponents of the regime' as well as Jewish and Israeli interests in the UK, it said. 'The Iranian intelligence services have shown that they are willing and able – often through third-party agents – to attempt assassination within the UK, and kidnap from the UK,' the report said. 'There have been at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap against British nationals or UK-based individuals since the beginning of 2022.' Similarly, security minister Dan Jarvis said in March Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service had tallied 20 Iran-backed plots 'presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents'. The watchdog committee took evidence for two years from August 2021 for its report, a period which saw Tehran implicated in a plot to kill two London-based Iran International television anchors. In March last year one of the Persian-language outlet's journalists was stabbed outside his London home. Two Romanian men have been charged in relation to the attack and face extradition to the UK to stand trial. The counter-terrorism unit of London's Metropolitan Police led the investigation. Iran's charge d'affaires in the UK has said that the Tehran authorities 'deny any link' to the incident.
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Iran Threats In UK 'Significantly Increased': Intel Watchdog
A UK parliamentary committee on Thursday blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts to kill or kidnap British-based individuals since 2022, saying the threat from Iran had "significantly increased". London's response has been too focused on "crisis management", said parliament's intelligence and security committee, with concerns over Iran's nuclear programme dominating their attention too much. Tehran swiftly issued a "categorical rejection of the unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations". The committee's claims were "baseless, irresponsible, and reflective of a broader pattern of distortion intended to malign Iran's legitimate regional and national interests", said its London embassy. The report comes after growing alarm in Britain at alleged Iranian targeting of dissidents, media organisations and journalists in the UK, including accusations of physical attacks. Iran in March became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost Britain's national security against covert foreign influences. It requires all persons working inside the country for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard to register on a new list or face jail. "Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK, UK nationals, and UK interests," Kevan Jones, chairman of the watchdog committee, said in the report's conclusions. "Iran has a high appetite for risk when conducting offensive activity and its intelligence services are ferociously well-resourced with significant areas of asymmetric strength." Jones said it bolstered this through proxy groups, "including criminal networks, militant and terrorist organisations, and private cyber actors" to allow for deniability. His committee's report said that while Iran's UK activity "appears to be less strategic and on a smaller scale than Russia and China", it "should not be underestimated". The physical threat posed had "significantly increased" in pace and volume, and was "focused acutely on dissidents and other opponents of the regime" as well as Jewish and Israeli interests in the UK, it said. "The Iranian Intelligence Services have shown that they are willing and able -- often through third-party agents -- to attempt assassination within the UK, and kidnap from the UK," the report said. "There have been at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap against British nationals or UK-based individuals since the beginning of 2022." Similarly, security minister Dan Jarvis said in March Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service had tallied 20 Iran-backed plots "presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents". The watchdog committee took evidence for two years from August 2021 for its report, a period which saw Tehran implicated in a plot to kill two London-based Iran International television anchors. In March last year one of the Persian-language outlet's journalists was stabbed outside his London home. Two Romanian men have been charged in relation to the attack and face extradition to the UK to stand trial. The counter-terrorism unit of London's Metropolitan Police led the investigation. Iran's charge d'affaires in the UK has said that the Tehran authorities "deny any link" to the incident.
South Wales Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
China and US ‘should be in toughest tier' of foreign influence scheme
The UK must also engage with Beijing economically 'even if this prompts retaliation' from the White House, the paper published by the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank concludes. Sir Keir Starmer's Government has sought to balance a revival of Chinese relations in its pursuit of growth with matters of national security amid concerns about Chinese interference in Britain. However, Beijing has been spared from the most stringent requirements of the UK's new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (Firs), which would see anyone working for the state to declare influence activities in Britain. Under existing rules, China is in the lower tier of the scheme which requires the declaration of 'political' activity alone, while Iran and Russia have been placed in the higher 'enhanced' tier covering a wider range of activities. In its report, Chatham House called for both the US and Beijing to be placed in the enhanced tier 'as part of a wider move to build UK resilience to great power influence'. Report author William Matthews said: 'Including both China and the US on the enhanced tier of Firs need not entail casting them as threats, and should be considered in terms of a policy of adapting the UK to a world of great power competition. 'Inclusion of the US could offset the risk of antagonising China, though China would still likely respond angrily, and would almost certainly provoke an angry response from the US. 'However, in the long-term it would be better for this to happen now if the UK seeks to maintain an autonomous foreign policy in its own interests, rather than at a future point when… risks are amplified due to intensifying US-China competition, which would make it harder to diverge from Washington where interests do not align.' Among the risks posed by great power rivalry are the likelihood that America will show more 'transactional' behaviour as its 'relative power' declines, and the potential for the UK to be 'targeted coercively' by Beijing if it is seen to act as a proxy for US interests, he said. Chinese dominance of supply chains for critical raw minerals, electric vehicles and green power means the UK cannot avoid economic engagement with the country, the report warns. In its recommendations, it urges against the UK taking sides in the rivalry between the US and China and calls on the Government to be prepared to diverge significantly from Washington in its approach to Beijing. 'The UK cannot afford to lock in dependence on the US at the expense of supply chains and technologies essential for economic prosperity,' it says. However, alongside maintaining economic ties it urges the Government to introduce key protections to guard against 'the risks of Chinese political interference'. Among its recommendations is a call to carry out safety checks on Chinese digital components entering UK markets, to be modelled on the previous Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre – nicknamed the Cell. Where the risks can be mitigated, Chinese technology investments should be considered – outside of projects involving Government procurement and critical national infrastructure, it says. The Government should also formally make permission for entities linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) to operate in Britain conditional on their adherence to UK democratic norms and civil liberties, the report recommends. A 'coordination centre' bringing together policy-makers, business chiefs, academic experts and civil society should be established and meet regularly to share approaches to China-related issues, it says. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: 'This Government is taking a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will cooperate where we can, compete where we need to and challenge where we must. 'This includes supporting UK business to engage with the second largest economy in the world – one of our largest trading partners – while being open-eyed to any risks and ensuring security and resilience.'
North Wales Chronicle
4 days ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
China and US ‘should be in toughest tier' of foreign influence scheme
The UK must also engage with Beijing economically 'even if this prompts retaliation' from the White House, the paper published by the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank concludes. Sir Keir Starmer's Government has sought to balance a revival of Chinese relations in its pursuit of growth with matters of national security amid concerns about Chinese interference in Britain. However, Beijing has been spared from the most stringent requirements of the UK's new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (Firs), which would see anyone working for the state to declare influence activities in Britain. Under existing rules, China is in the lower tier of the scheme which requires the declaration of 'political' activity alone, while Iran and Russia have been placed in the higher 'enhanced' tier covering a wider range of activities. In its report, Chatham House called for both the US and Beijing to be placed in the enhanced tier 'as part of a wider move to build UK resilience to great power influence'. Report author William Matthews said: 'Including both China and the US on the enhanced tier of Firs need not entail casting them as threats, and should be considered in terms of a policy of adapting the UK to a world of great power competition. 'Inclusion of the US could offset the risk of antagonising China, though China would still likely respond angrily, and would almost certainly provoke an angry response from the US. 'However, in the long-term it would be better for this to happen now if the UK seeks to maintain an autonomous foreign policy in its own interests, rather than at a future point when… risks are amplified due to intensifying US-China competition, which would make it harder to diverge from Washington where interests do not align.' Among the risks posed by great power rivalry are the likelihood that America will show more 'transactional' behaviour as its 'relative power' declines, and the potential for the UK to be 'targeted coercively' by Beijing if it is seen to act as a proxy for US interests, he said. Chinese dominance of supply chains for critical raw minerals, electric vehicles and green power means the UK cannot avoid economic engagement with the country, the report warns. In its recommendations, it urges against the UK taking sides in the rivalry between the US and China and calls on the Government to be prepared to diverge significantly from Washington in its approach to Beijing. 'The UK cannot afford to lock in dependence on the US at the expense of supply chains and technologies essential for economic prosperity,' it says. However, alongside maintaining economic ties it urges the Government to introduce key protections to guard against 'the risks of Chinese political interference'. Among its recommendations is a call to carry out safety checks on Chinese digital components entering UK markets, to be modelled on the previous Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre – nicknamed the Cell. Where the risks can be mitigated, Chinese technology investments should be considered – outside of projects involving Government procurement and critical national infrastructure, it says. The Government should also formally make permission for entities linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) to operate in Britain conditional on their adherence to UK democratic norms and civil liberties, the report recommends. A 'coordination centre' bringing together policy-makers, business chiefs, academic experts and civil society should be established and meet regularly to share approaches to China-related issues, it says. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: 'This Government is taking a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will cooperate where we can, compete where we need to and challenge where we must. 'This includes supporting UK business to engage with the second largest economy in the world – one of our largest trading partners – while being open-eyed to any risks and ensuring security and resilience.'
