Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday that it has designated Britain’s foreign intelligence service, MI6, as a hostile group and placed the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force on its lists of terrorist organizations. The measures were issued in a formal statement from Tehran as a direct counteraction against British policies.
The ministry described the designations as retaliatory actions taken under a resolution by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and intended to address what it called hostile conduct by the British government over the past year. It said the measures took effect immediately upon publication of the statement on November 1.
The decision is framed as a response to two specific British actions. The ministry cited Britain’s involvement in the U.S and Israeli Occupation-backed war against Iran, as well as London’s decision on July 13 to place the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the State Threats Act 2026.
According to the statement, MI6 formally known as the Secret Intelligence Service has been classified as a “hostile group” under Note 2 of Article 1 of Iran’s Law on Intensifying Punishment for Espionage and Cooperation with the Zionist Regime and Hostile Countries. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, meanwhile, were designated as terrorist organizations under Iran’s Law on Countermeasures against the United States’ Designation of the IRGC as a Terrorist Organization.
Tehran accused Britain of providing military and logistical support during as a war imposed on Iran, including through British facilities and military bases under its jurisdiction. The ministry accused the British government of pursuing policies contrary to the UN Charter and international law, particularly concerning respect for national sovereignty.
The designations therefore reflect not only a tit-for-tat legal escalation but also Tehran’s broader ambition to challenge the Western security architecture and criminalize its military and intelligence influence at a time when the region faces mounting conflicts, direct U.S-Israeli Occupation strikes on Iran since February, and criticism over the international system’s ability to prevent wider war.
