Iran designates Britain's Royal Navy and RAF as 'terrorist organisations', MI6 as 'hostile group'

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Sunday designated the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as "terrorist organisations" and classified Britain's foreign intelligence service, MI6, as a "hostile group", saying the measures take effect immediately. The ministry said the decision followed a resolution of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

The move is Tehran's answer to Britain's decision on July 13 to place Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under its State Threats Act 2026, according to the Iranian statement as carried by ANI, TASS and Anadolu. It comes as Qatar tries to broker a deal between Iran and the United States over the Strait of Hormuz, and as Iranian commanders warn that any new war would spread beyond West Asia.

What Iran's statement says

The statement cites two Iranian laws. MI6 is to be treated as a "hostile group" under the law on "Enhancing Punishments for Espionage and Cooperation with the Zionist Regime and Hostile Countries Against National Security and Interests", the ministry said, according to ANI's translation. The Royal Navy and RAF fall under a law that Iran passed in response to the United States' designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, and are "accordingly" designated as terrorist organisations.

The ministry accused Britain of taking part in what it called the "US-Israeli war against Iran" by providing "military and logistical bases and facilities located in territories under British jurisdiction". It said the measures were adopted "within the framework of the principle of reciprocity" and that "the British government shall bear responsibility for their consequences".

The statement did not spell out what the designations mean in practice, beyond saying that the provisions of the espionage law would apply to MI6.

No response from the British government had been reported by the time of writing. The Declaration could not open the Iranian Foreign Ministry's own website or the Tasnim news agency's report, so the wording above is from translations carried by ANI and TASS, which match closely.

Background

Britain allowed the US to use British bases for what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called a "specific and limited defensive purpose" after the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, while saying the UK would not join offensive action. British forces have since shot down Iranian drones in the region and sent mine-hunting equipment towards the Strait of Hormuz.

Sunday's step came alongside sharper warnings from Iran's military. Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, the IRGC's deputy for political affairs, said Iran's forces were "fully prepared for any scenario the enemy may devise" and assumed the US or Israel could strike at any moment, according to Al Jazeera, as cited by Pakistan's Express Tribune. Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said any renewed US attack would meet a response "on a larger scale than before", and that a new war would not be confined to West Asia.

US President Donald Trump has said talks with Iran are under way through Qatari mediators but that Washington may still hit "one or two" remaining sites. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Iran's latest proposal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the US meets its conditions, ANI reported.

Why it matters for India

The UK is one of the Western navies patrolling the Gulf and the Red Sea, where Indian-flagged ships and thousands of Indian seafarers work. Any clash between British and Iranian forces near Hormuz would add to the risks for shipping through a strait that carries a large share of India's crude oil and gas imports. India has kept diplomatic channels open to both Tehran and Western capitals through the conflict.

What happens next

It is not yet clear how Britain will respond. The next test of the Qatari mediation is whether a US delegation joins talks in Doha, which Iran says will depend on Washington first accepting its conditions.