The threat to the UK posed by covert Iranian influence is the subject of growing attention, as demonstrated by a UK parliamentary report on the issue. On 7 July 2025, Iran International reported that a new report set to be published warns Iran remains one of the gravest state-based threats to British security, with ongoing plots and cyberattacks targeting the UK. The article begins:
A parliamentary report in the UK is set to warn that Iran remains one of the gravest state-based threats to British security, according to a forthcoming report from the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee. Iran continues to pose a significant threat to the United Kingdom, with ongoing attempts to assassinate dissidents on British soil and extensive cyber attacks targeting UK companies. Based on classified intelligence and two years of investigation, the study is expected to place Iran alongside China and Russia as one of the biggest state-based threats to the UK. The findings will also expose the persistent meddling by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), despite recent setbacks caused by Israeli assassinations. The report, more than 100 pages in length, was compiled through interviews with Iranian experts at British intelligence services and with access to sensitive classified documents.
Read more: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202507079848
Key Points
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The UK parliamentary report on the Iran threat identifies Iran as a major state-based security risk, alongside China and Russia.
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Iran is accused of ongoing assassination plots against dissidents and cyberattacks targeting UK companies and citizens.
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is highlighted for its persistent covert operations and influence activities in the UK.
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The report is based on classified intelligence, interviews, and a two-year investigation by the Intelligence and Security Committee.
Iran’s Influence Operations in the UK: Networks, Ideology, and Government Countermeasures
Iran’s influence operations in the United Kingdom have evolved into a sophisticated network that leverages ideological alliances, community outreach, and covert political activities. Tehran-linked organizations have embedded themselves in British society through far-left partnerships and advocacy campaigns, annual public demonstrations, and targeted messaging in schools and public discourse. Leadership figures have openly supported controversial positions such as the Rushdie fatwa, reinforcing the regime’s ideological reach.
The UK government recently responded by launching a Foreign Influence Registration Scheme that places Iran on its highest tier, compelling all political activities linked to Iranian state actors and proxies to be registered or face criminal penalties, thereby aiming to disrupt covert operations and increase transparency around foreign influence. These measures reflect mounting concerns over the operational and ideological threats posed by Iran’s embedded networks, which exploit legal and social vulnerabilities to advance Tehran’s interests across multiple fronts, including through digital disinformation and alliances with other transnational movements.
External references:
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UK to place Iran on highest tier of foreign influence register | Reuters
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Iran’s network of influence in the UK exposed in new NUFDI report | The Jerusalem Post
Disclaimer:
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