The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament published its Report on Iran on 10th July 2025, after an ‘extensive inquiry took evidence from August 2021 to August 2023.’

The report found that the Iranian regime’s fundamental objective is to ‘ensure the survival and security of the Islamic Republic.’

To do this, Iran has focused of ‘the development of asymmetric capabilities and a network of aligned militant and terrorist organisations across the Middle East to spread influence and deter potential aggressors.’

The report revealed that while Iran’s threat to the UK is less than that of Russia and China, it still ‘poses a wide-ranging threat to UK national security…. It is persistent and crucially, unpredictable.’

The report also asserted that ‘Iran wants to build a deep alliance with Russia, and the relationship is becoming increasingly close.’

This relationship has strengthened in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Iran aiding Russia with weapons.

Further, as China is Iran’s largest trading partner, with US$14.7bn total bilateral trade volume reported by the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) as of 2023.

Iran has also developed relationships with militant and terrorist groups across the Middle East which the Iranian regime uses to maintain plausible deniability when such groups commit violent acts.

The report indicated that the ‘varying level of control that Iran excensuses over its network of aligned militant and terrorist groups exacerbated the unpredictability of the Iranian-backed threat in the Middle East and risks and escalation of aggression in the region.’

The report stated that the ‘transactional arrangement between Iran and the senior leadership of Al Qaeda is concerning,’ and that the UK government ‘should use all tools at its disposal to degrade the relationship between Iran and groups such as Al-Queda and Lebanese Hizbollah, including publicly calling out Iran’s attempts to protect such groups.’

The London Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran responded to the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK Parliament by expressing its ‘strong protest’ and rejection of the ‘unfounded, politically motivated, and hostile allegations contained therein.’

It said that the comments made in the report were ‘irresponsible and reflective of a broader pattern of distortion intended to malign Iran’s legitimate regional and national interests.’

The report shared that since 2022, there has been a ‘significant increase in the physical threat posed by Iran to those residing in the UK.’

While this threat is focused on dissidents and other opponents of the regime, there is also an ‘increased threat against Jewish and Israeli interests in the UK.’

The Homeland Security Group told the Committee that the threat of physical attack on individuals is now ‘the greatest level of threat we currently face from Iran, and comparable to the threat posed by Russia.’

Additionally, the Committee said that Iran pursuing its nuclear weapons programme would pose a threat to UK nationals in the region as well as those on British soil.