Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Iran: Human Rights Violations

Tuesday 3 March 2026 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Led efforts to secure a special session of the UN Human Rights Council and imposed sanctions on Iran for human rights violations.
  • Commissioned the Jonathan Hall review to strengthen counter-terrorism legislation and will take forward measures to include state and state-linked threats.
  • Working closely with counter-terrorism police and security services to pursue live cases of Iran involvement and enact Hall review recommendations.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mark Sewards Lab Leeds South West and Morley
Foreign Affairs
Context

Iran has attacked multiple countries without provocation and responded to protests with violence, resulting in thousands of deaths.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure accountability for human rights violations against protesters in Iran, including the imposition of sanctions and the pursuit of a UN Human Rights Council session?

Answer from Yvette Cooper

Led efforts to secure a special session of the UN Human Rights Council and imposed a sweeping package of sanctions to hold Iran accountable for its human rights violations. The Prime Minister set out actions in response to Iran's attacks on Gulf partners.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q2 Mark Sewards Lab Leeds South West and Morley
Foreign Affairs
Context

The new head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is an internationally wanted terrorist, responsible for attacks and repression of protests in Iran.

Question

Will the Foreign Secretary implement sanctions on those responsible for the bloody crackdowns in Iran, including Ali Larijani, and urge the Home Secretary to implement the Jonathan Hall framework to proscribe the IRGC as soon as possible?

Answer from Yvette Cooper

Commissioned the Jonathan Hall review to strengthen counter-terrorism legislation, and will take forward the measures to broaden existing legislation to include state and state-linked threats.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Implementation of sanctions and immediate proscription of IRGC.

How: Keep All Proscription Decisions Under Close Review

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Q3 Robert Jenrick Reform Newark
Foreign Affairs
Context

Previously, officials argued that proscribing Hezbollah and Hamas would harm diplomatic relations, but those arguments were overcome. Similar arguments have been made for the IRGC.

Question

Will the Foreign Secretary be clear that she will not stand in the way of the full proscription of the IRGC, so that dangerous criminals who harm UK people and allies have no place in the UK?

Answer from Yvette Cooper

Takes threats on UK streets seriously, but points out that the previous government did nothing to strengthen legislation during a period of Iran-backed threats on UK streets.

Not addressed: Commitment to not blocking full proscription of the IRGC.

How: Previous Government'S Inaction

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Q4 Calum Miller Lib Dem Bicester and Woodstock
Foreign Affairs
Context

Iran-backed threats on UK streets include fears from the Iranian diaspora and the UK's Jewish community about potential attacks.

Question

Will the Foreign Secretary work with colleagues to heed calls for emergency legislation to enact the recommendations of the Hall review and proscribe the IRGC?

Answer from Yvette Cooper

Taking forward the legislation that Jonathan Hall recommended, and working closely with counter-terrorism police and security services to pursue live cases of Iran involvement.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to emergency legislation.

How: Close Review Of Live Cases

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