UK Parliament Repeats Security Claims Against Iran

According to Khabaronline, an Iranian news agency, the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) released its annual assessment covering the 2023–2025 period. The document reviews Britain’s security priorities and recent legislative developments and once again places Iran within London’s broader national security narrative.

One section of the report focuses on new regulatory mechanisms, including the so-called “Foreign Influence Registration Scheme,” which the UK government presents as a tool to counter what it defines as foreign influence. Within this framework, the committee highlights the scheme’s two-tier structure and draws particular attention to the “enhanced tier.” It notes that in March 2025, the UK government decided to classify “the entirety of the Iranian state, including its intelligence services,” under this higher-risk category.

In an annex titled “Threat Assessment,” the committee reiterates a range of security claims, arguing that activities attributed to “state-linked actors,” including Iran, constitute a multifaceted threat. The report cites several cases as illustrative examples. In the section addressing cyber threats, it alleges that actors based in Iran engage in aggressive cyber activity, including targeted phishing operations, and claims they have sought to target industrial control systems.

These assertions come despite Iran’s earlier and explicit rejection of similar claims made in previous ISC reports. Tehran has characterized such assessments as politically motivated and lacking credible evidence. In response to earlier reports, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London described the allegations as “biased, political, and baseless,” firmly denying all accusations.

The Iranian embassy has also called on the UK authorities to present verifiable evidence to support their claims and has emphasized Tehran’s stated readiness for direct dialogue and bilateral cooperation aimed at addressing misunderstandings and preventing further erosion of trust. In the same statement, the embassy categorically rejected allegations of Iranian involvement in or support for violent acts, espionage, or cyberattacks, warning that what it termed the “instrumental use of unsubstantiated intelligence assessments” could harm bilateral relations and undermine regional stability.

For international observers, the latest report underscores the persistence of deep mistrust between London and Tehran, at a time when broader regional and global tensions continue to shape how security narratives are framed and contested on both sides.