By Caroline Hawley | BBC Diplomatic Correspondent

A newly released parliamentary report has warned that the United Kingdom faces an increasingly severe and unpredictable threat from Iran. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), which oversees Britain’s intelligence agencies, urged the government to adopt a more comprehensive and long-term strategy to confront the risks posed by Tehran.

The committee’s findings come after a wide-ranging inquiry into Iranian activities, including state-sponsored assassinations, abductions, espionage, cyberattacks, and the country’s nuclear ambitions.

“Iran presents a broad, ongoing, and unpredictable threat to the UK, to British nationals, and to national interests,” said Lord Beamish, chair of the ISC. “Its intelligence services are highly resourced and capable, with particular strengths in asymmetric tactics. Iran is active across the entire spectrum of threats.”

The committee expressed concern that the UK government’s response has focused too narrowly on managing individual crises—particularly surrounding Iran’s nuclear program—rather than developing a holistic strategy. It emphasized that more resources are needed to address the full range of threats from Iran.

Though Iran’s global activities may not match the scale of Russia’s or China’s, the committee stressed that Iran’s threat to UK national security is no less serious. “It is persistent and, critically, unpredictable,” the report said.

A key area of concern is the rising number of physical threats targeting regime opponents living in the UK. Since the beginning of 2022, there have been at least 15 known attempts by Iranian agents to kidnap or kill UK-based individuals, particularly dissidents. The report also highlighted growing threats against Jewish and Israeli interests in the country.

The UK’s Homeland Security Group reportedly described the risk of physical attacks as “the greatest level of threat we currently face from Iran,” comparable to that from Russia.

However, the report noted that Iran does not view such operations as attacks on the UK itself. Instead, Tehran sees these actions as part of its internal suppression efforts, with the UK being treated as “collateral” in its efforts to eliminate perceived enemies of the regime abroad.

The ISC’s 260-page report, covering evidence up to August 2023, was published on Thursday and had previously been reviewed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and UK intelligence services to ensure national security protections.

In response to the report, a government spokesperson acknowledged the significance of the findings, saying it highlights the crucial role of the UK’s intelligence agencies in defending national security.

“This government will act whenever necessary to protect the nation,” the spokesperson said. “We have already placed Iran in the enhanced tier of our foreign influence registration scheme and imposed sanctions on over 450 individuals and entities linked to Iran.”

The government expressed appreciation for the committee’s work and confirmed that it would issue a full response within the required 60-day timeframe.