Iranian external operations

Iranian external operations refers to actions conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in foreign nations, using military, intelligence, diplomatic, cyber, and proxy instruments, such as criminal networks. These operations have been mainly led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) along with the support of the Ministry of Intelligence and other state and non-state entities. Iran's external operations run across all five continents with a focus on the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and Europe.

Following the Islamic Revolution that took place in 1979, Iran's leadership was transformed to a theocratic republic. The new government followed the velayat-e faqih (guardianship of the jurist) doctrine, seeking to shift the status quo of the region, oppose western influence, with emphasis on the U.S. while supporting global Shia and Anti-Israel movements. The IRGC that was established in the 1980s has led the execution of operations abroad.^[1][2][3] Over 45 years, and in a higher intensity since 2018, Iran's government has regularly used criminal groups and partner networks in other countries to carry out its goals.^[4] Through these actions, it can maintain plausible deniability while promoting its political and security interests.^[1][5][6][7]

In recent years, Iran has exported the proxy model from the Middle East to Europe, by outsourcing its operations to European criminal networks.^[7][6] In most European countries Iran uses these criminal networks to execute assassinations, kidnapping, espionage, surveillance and other operations, mainly targeting dissidents, American, Israeli and European targets and interests.^[7][1]

Sweden has become known lately for the criminal actions of the Foxtrot Network, headed by Rawa Majid (AKA the "Kurdish Fox"). This criminal network has increased its connections with Iran, acting on its behalf as a proxy, especially by targeting Israeli and Jewish groups. It is involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, shootings, and contract killings.^[8][9] The Swedish Security Service has confirmed that Iran uses criminal networks in Sweden to carry out violent acts against states and individuals it considers threats, including dissidents and representatives of other states such as Israel.^[10][11] Foxtrot Modus Operandi is known for recruiting minors for attacks as Swedish law prevents prosecution of those under 15 years old.^[12]

The Foxtrot Network was behind the attempt to place grenades at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, following a direct request of Iranian intelligence.^[8][13][14]

This attack that took place in May 2024 like the January bombing attempt linked back by Swedish and Israeli intelligence to the Foxtrot Network.^[13]

According to a major European investigation, The Foxtrot Network was directed by Iran to target Israeli defense contractors including Elbit Systems facilities, located in Gothenburg and Stockholm.^[13]

The Foxtrot Network received a "target list" from Iran, directed Israeli embassy attacks, defense contractor strikes, kidnappings, and assassinations of Israelis across Europe, as well as attacks on Jewish community facilities and synagogues.^[1][13]

Since the late 2010s British intelligence and security officials have identified an increase in Iran's involvement in the UK, relied on criminal networks and organized crime groups to advance its interests and conduct covert operations in the UK and across Europe. This approach allows Iranian state actors, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), to shield themselves from direct exposure while leveraging local criminal resources and expertise.^[15][1]

This plot constructed by the IRGC aimed to assassinate two Iranian journalists in London, affiliated with Iran International, a Persian-language news channel critical of the Iranian regime. Sima Sabet and Fardad Farahzad, were targeted in November 2022 by Unit 840 (a secretive special operations unit within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force) and were codenamed "the bride" and "the groom".^[16][17][1] With the help of a double agent, the plot failed.^[18][16]

In May 2025, UK police arrested five individuals, including four Iranian nationals, who were suspected of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in London. The arrests took place during coordinated raids in several cities: Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale, and Manchester. This was part of a major counter-terrorism operation that UK authorities described as one of the most significant in recent years.^[19][20][21] According to former intelligence officials and security sources, the suspects are believed to be linked to Unit 840.^[22]

Since 2022, MI5 and the police have stopped at least 20 plots in the UK that were linked to Iran.^[23] Intelligence shows that Iran has been paying local criminals in the UK to carry out violence and spying activities. According to sources, MI5 chief Ken McCallum vowed to give his “fullest attention to the risk of an increase in, or broadening of, Iranian state aggression in the UK” ^{[24][25][26][27]}

According to several sources the Iranian involvement in crime in Germany has become a serious security issue. Iranian intelligence agencies are hiring local criminals to spy on, threaten, or attack Jewish people, Israelis, and political opponents. They often use people from the European criminal world, like drug dealers, gang members, and ex prisoners or these jobs. This way, Iran can deny responsibility and stay at a safe distance from the actual operations.^[1][28]

In 2021 Iran used German Hell's Angels and their leader Ramin Yektaparast, a dual German-Iranian national who executed two synagogue attacks. One took place in Bochum and the other in Essen.^[1][6]

On July 2025, the German and Danish authorities have disrupted a plot by Iran's Quds Force to target Jewish individuals and institutions in Berlin. Danish citizen (Ali S.), of Afghan origin was arrested on suspicion of carrying out surveillance of potential targets. He is to be extradited to Germany.^[29]

German along with French police have stopped several plots supported by Iran. These plots included plans to kill Jewish people and burn down businesses owned by Israelis. Thanks to spying and intelligence work, they have arrested suspects and kept them in custody before trial. Some of these suspects were directly connected to Iranian agents.^[28][1]

In recent years, Iranian criminal actions in France have increased, mainly through government backed efforts aimed at dissidents, Jewish people, Israelis, and political opponents. The Iranian government has been relying more on local criminal groups such as drug dealers and gangs, in order to carry out these attacks while keeping its own involvement hidden.^[30][31][32]

In 2018, European intelligence exposed that Vienna-based diplomat Assadolah Assadi plot to bomb a large Iranian opposition rally near Paris. He passed explosives and €22,000 to two Belgian nationals of Iranian origin who were meant to carry out the attack. This foiled plot led to his arrest and 20 year prison sentence in Belgium in 2021.^[33][34]

Mehrez Ayari, a French-Tunisian with a criminal record, was wanted for a 2022 murder in Val-d’Oise. He was later linked to the attempted killing of former EU lawmaker Alejo Vidal-Quadras in Madrid in November 2023. Ayari had ties to criminal groups in France and Europe and was reportedly recruited by Iran to carry out killings overseas.^[35][36][37]

On May 31, 2023 “Simay Azadi,” an Iranian opposition media center in Saint‑Ouen‑l’Aumône near Paris, was attacked with Molotov cocktails and gunfire. On June 11 and 13, gasoline containers were left outside the offices. French authorities said all these actions were executed by petty criminals hired by the Iranian government.^[30]

Bruno Retailleau the French Interior Minister, stated on June 2025 that Iran has reportedly hired drug traffickers to carry out secret operations in France. This is a direct line to events from 2018 continuing to these days.^[38]

In 2021 a Swiss woman diplomat working at the embassy in Tehran was found dead, after falling from a 17th floor building. The Iranians said she committed suicide, but Swiss investigation was complicated because of the absence of key organs after an initial autopsy in Iran.^[39][40]

In June 2023, a Swiss defense attaché collapsed in a Tehran hotel. He was flown back to Switzerland, and died several months later. Iranian officials described the death as resulting from natural causes, but the incident raised concerns about the safety of Swiss diplomats in Iran.^[41]

A recent investigation report published by Linkiesta, in July 2025 reveals the formation of a sophisticated Iranian intelligence and influence network based in Italy. Through cultural diplomacy and academic cooperation backed by over €1 million in funding, Tehran uses a team based in its embassy in Rome to watch, pressure, and scare Iranian dissidents in different Italian cities. This includes spying on them online, following them in person, and using threats to silence critics of the regime.^[42][43]

Latin America has become a haven for Iranian criminal activities. Tehran encourages its proxy networks like the Lebanon-based Hezbollah to deepen their involvement in legal financial, drug and arms trafficking operations, while creating more alliances with anti-U.S. regimes like Venezuela.^[44] Iran holds close connection with it through economic collaboration, banking partnerships, and alleged intelligence coordination.^{[45][46][47][48]} Hezbollah, Iran's key proxy operates from the Tri-Border Area between Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, a hotspot for smuggling, as there is no governance there.^[49][50]

The AMIA Bombing was an attack carried out by Hezbollah operatives acting on Iranian orders. In the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires 85 civilians were killed. Ever since the bombing Argentina's courts have continually held Iran responsible, and the suspects are being tried in absentia following the new 2025 legislation.^[51][52][53]

Colombia was the starting point for Operation Cassandra, the DEA investigation the exposed Hezbollah's $1 billion laundering ring.^[54][55][56]

In 2011, Iran's Quds Force tried to use the Los Zetas cartel to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, in Washington.^[57][58] The cartel was offered a sum of $1.5 million for the assassination, but the plan eventually failed.^[59][60]

The "ghost flights" refers to ongoing, unregistered flights between Venezuela and Iran. The flights that are run mainly by the Venezuelan state airline Conviasa, have raised global attention as there are no records, no passenger manifests, lack of transparency, and allegations of illicit activity.^[61][62][63]

Iran's activities in North America over the years include spying, targeting critics living abroad, online attacks, and planning for possible revenge missions. It uses diplomatic and non-official operatives in order to spy on diaspora communities, in some cases attempt kidnaping and assassinations, like the attempt on journalist Masih Alinejad. Reports show assassination plots on U.S. officials like President Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton. Iran has conducted Cyber warfare and election interference using units like APT35, as well as disinformation campaigns. Iran also works with criminal groups and allies like Hezbollah to prepare for possible attacks. To get around international sanctions, it uses fake companies, cryptocurrency, and illegal purchases of sensitive technology.^[64][7]

According to intelligence reports, while visiting Paris in 2022, Iranian operatives almost succeeded in executing an assassination attempt on former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.^[65][66][67]

In August 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Shahram Poursafi, a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with planning to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton and offering up to $1 million for the killing of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. By late 2023, U.S. intelligence had alerted Donald Trump’s team that Iranian assassination teams were operating within the United States and that both Pompeo and Trump were among their potential targets.^[68][66]

In November 2024, U.S. prosecutors revealed charges showing that a man named Farhad Shakeri, who was reportedly working for the IRGC, was involved in watching and planning to kill Donald Trump, who had just been elected president. Two other people were also charged for helping him.^{[69][70][71][72]}

An Iranian website is running an ongoing fundraise, setting a prize money for the one who assassinates President Donald Trump.^[73]

In January 2024, the U.S. and UK sanctioned a group accused of trying to kill Iranian dissidents abroad on orders from Tehran. The network was led by Naji Sharif Zindashti, a drug trafficker based in Iran, and worked under Iran's Ministry of Intelligence to carry out kidnappings and murders across different continents. One of the recruits was Canadian Hells Angels member Damion Ryan, who was asked to kill Iranian exiles in the U.S. Ryan, who has a long criminal history, brought in another Canadian, Adam Pearson, to help with the plot.^[6][74]

Iran conducts large scale criminal activities in Africa, both direct via government operations and non-direct, that are carried out by proxies such as Hezbollah and other groups. These activities terrorism weapons smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering and assisting local armed groups. These actions are part of Iran's global efforts reaching its goals.^[75][76][77]

In 2020, U.S. intelligence revealed that Iran was planning to assassinate U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Lana Marks. She was targeted also because of her close ties to then President Donald Trump, as well as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' established clandestine network in South Africa. The plot, linked to the Iranian Embassy in Pretoria, was among several options Iran considered to avenge Qassem Soleimani’s death, which had already prompted missile attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq.^[78][79][80]

In early 2021, Ethiopian authorities arrested a group of 15 people for planning an attack on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) embassy in Addis Ababa.^[81][82] The group, led by Ali Ahmed Adaito, had weapons, explosives, and documents related to the plan. Ethiopian intelligence said the attack could have caused serious harm. A key suspect, Ahmed Ismail, was arrested in Sweden with help from Swedish and Ethiopian officials. A similar plot against the UAE embassy in Sudan was also stopped after a warning from Ethiopia. U.S. and Israeli officials believed Iran was behind these plots as revenge for the killings of Iranian leaders Qassem Soleimani and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.^[83][84]

Ismael Djidah, a man from Chad and former adviser to a rebel leader in the Central African Republic, was arrested in 2019 in Chad. He was accused of helping create an armed group in Central Africa with support from Iran. United Nations investigators and Djidah himself said that Iran's Quds Force gave him money and support to form a group called "Saraya Zahraa," also known as the Zahraa Brigade.^[85][86] The group's goal was to carry out attacks against Western, Israeli, and Saudi targets in Africa. Djidah said he recruited 30 to 40 fighters from rebel groups in the Central African Republic and sent them to Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria to be trained in camps run by Iran. UN investigators confirmed that at least 12 of these fighters traveled to those countries for training.^[85][86]

In 2015 Kenyan authorities have arrested several people accused of working for Iran’s Quds Force and planning attacks in Kenya. Two Kenyans admitted to helping Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards by recruiting others, spying on targets, and planning attacks on Western and Kenyan interests.^[87][88] They had traveled to Iran for training and received money from Iranian agents. Police said the group even tried to recruit children. Earlier in 2012, two Iranians were caught in Kenya with a large amount of explosives and were later sentenced to life in prison for planning attacks, possibly against Western and Israeli targets.^[89]

Iran has supported the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) with money, training, and ideas, seeing it as a way to spread its influence in West Africa. The IMN was started by Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky in the 1980s after he was inspired by Iran's Islamic Revolution and spent time studying there. The group does not recognize the Nigerian government and wants to create an Islamic system like Iran's. Iran, along with Lebanese Hezbollah, has reportedly given the IMN around $120,000 a year in support, ideological and military training in Hezbollah facilities.^[90][91][92]

In January 2025 Moroccan authorities and counter terrorism efforts have managed to foil terrorists attacks on the Israeli liaison office in Morocco. These attempts were related to Polisario Front, an Iranian proxy based in West Africa.^[93]

Over the years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has conducted numerous clandestine activities and operations throughout Asia. These activities include espionage, assassination plots, cyberattacks, terrorism facilitation, and illicit financial networks. More and more of these activities are outsourced to criminal organizations. Behind most of these operation stand the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force (IRGC-QF), Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), and affiliated proxies.

The 2023-2024 coup and assassination plot was part of an Iranian effort to destabilize Azerbaijan and promote Iranian interests in the region. It was uncovered by Azerbaijani authorities, who arrested people working with Iran's secret service, aiming to assassinate prominent government figures. They received military training in Iran under the guise of religious education along with a lists of officials for targeted attacks.^[94]

MP Fazil Mustafa is a known critic of the Iranian regime. On March 28, 2023 he survived an assassination attempt which the Azerbaijani authorities linked to Iran's secret services who prematurely announced his death on the IRGC's Telegram channel.^[95][96]

Late in 2024 Agil Aslanov, a Georgian drug trafficker was recruited by an officer of Iran's Quds Force who offered him $200,000 to assassinate Rabbi Shneor Segal in Baku. Aslanov who met Quds Force operatives in Iran returned to Azerbaijan and began surveillance the rabbi. He then sent the information to Iranian intelligence. In January 2025 Azerbaijani security services intercepted the plot arresting the suspects and charging them with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.^[97][98]

Hitoshi Igarashi, a well-known Japanese scholar and translator of Arabic and Persian literature, best known for translating Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses into Japanese.^[99][100] In 1989, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a religious order, or fatwa, calling for the death of Rushdie and anyone who helped publish the book. Igarashi was assassinated on July 11, 1991, in his office at the University of Tsukuba in Ibaraki, Japan. Sources claim the assassination was done by the IRGC.^{[101][102][99]}

On 13 February 2021, as part of the 2012 attacks on Israeli diplomats, a motorcyclist attached a magnetic "sticky bomb" to the car of Tal Yehoshua Koren, the wife of the Israeli defense attaché in New Delhi. The wife that was on her way to pick up her children from school was wounded alongside her driver, and two bystanders.^[103][104]

The 2012 Bangkok bombing is the most notable incident of Iranian operation in Thailand. Iranian operatives accidentally triggered an explosion in a Bangkok residence they had rented. The blast caused two of them to flee the site, while the badly injured third operative tried to escape by taxi. The driver refused to stop so he threw a bomb at the vehicle, injuring the driver and bystanders. Authorities finally arrested him after another failed bombing attempt that resulted in the loss of his legs.^[105]

On 14 February 2025, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a Fatwa calling for the death of Salman Rushdie the author of the novel "The Satanic Verses" as well as anyone who will help publish, translate and distribute the book. According to Khomeini, the book was blasphemous against Islam, the Prophet Muhammad, and the Qur'an. He encouraged every Muslim in the world to kill Rushdie.^{[106][107][108]}

In July 2025, a hardline Iranian cleric by the name of Abdolmajid Kharaghaani began a public fundraiser meant for assassinating U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The campaign aims to collect $10–20 million and follows a Fatwa issued in June 2025 by Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi.^{[109][110][111]}

In Australia, Iran’s criminal activities involve secret and illegal actions carried out by the Iranian government and its proxies. The activities include hacking attacks on Australian government and business systems, smuggling methamphetamine through Southeast Asia, and avoiding international sanctions by using informal financial systems.^[112] Reports show that Australian authorities have evidence of Iranian officials were spying, threating and harassing Iranian dissidents who spoke out against the current Iranian regime.^[113] Australian Intelligence services have uncovered plots to kill or kidnap people and interfere in Australian affairs, very often linked to hate crimes from Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah. In response, Australia has strengthened its cybersecurity, cracked down on drug operations, and made its laws tougher against spying and foreign influence.^[114]

• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force
• Ministry of Intelligence (Iran)
• Cyberwarfare by Iran
• Proxy criminal networks
• Foxtrot (criminal network)