LFI chair urges tougher action by UK government on Iran after vile executions

Labour Friends of Israel are urging the UK government to take tougher action on Iran following the execution of two pro-democracy activists

The group’s chair Steve McCabe has written to foreign secretary James Cleverly urging the UK government to expel Iran’s Chargé d’Affaires in London and to downgrade diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic.

He also repeated calls for the UK to proscribe Tehran’s ideological army, and widen sanctions on the regime’s executioners and propagandists.

In his letter to Cleverly, McCabe condemns Tehran’s “brutal and violent effort to suppress the legitimate protests” which began in September and in which nearly 500 people – including 68 children – have died at the hands of the security forces.

He also condemns the barbaric execution of two protesters – Majidreza Rahnavard and Mohsen Shekariin – in recent days and warns that “many more” protesters are now in danger.

“As usual, the regime is deploying torture and hasty trials to judicially murder those who oppose it and intimidate other protesters,” he suggests.

McCabe welcomes the steps already taken by Britain, the US and European Union against the regime, but urges tougher action.

“It is clear that these measures are having little to no impact on the regime,” he writes.

“We must now take urgent action – targeted at all those engaged in the perpetration of violence against the Iranian people – in order to both deter and punish the regime and to show our solidarity with the protesters.”

On Monday six more UK parliamentarians – including Tory immigration minister Robert Jenrick, and former Labour shadow middle east minister Wayne David – were placed on the Iranian regime’s sanctions list.

MP David told Jewish News he had “strongly supported the concern Israel has put out about the very real threat Iran poses and will continue to do so.”

He added:“They can put us on lists, make threats all they like, but nevertheless we will continue to support the democratic opposition against what is happening in Iran.”

Outlining the five immediate steps the government should take McCabe also calls for the recall of the UK ambassador to Iran.

He calls for the proscriptionof the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsand of the widening of the list of those sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act.

The Labour MP also calls for the UK to draw up a list of regime oligarchs and freeze any financial assets they have in the UK, adding they and their families should also be refused entry to the UK.

McCabe urges a crackdown on the activities of the network of state “soft power” organisations operating in the Middle East, Europe and the UK.
He writes:“Alongside other parliamentarians, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter urgently with you and hear more about the steps you intend to take to show our steadfast opposition to the regime’s efforts to prevent the Iranian people’s protests for the human rights they have long been denied.”