Iran's Ex-Parliament Speaker Launches Presidential Bid

Mossad, the Israeli spy agency, carried out an investigation alongside European counterparts after an explosive device, reportedly a hand grenade, was found inside the grounds of the Israeli embassy in Stockholm in January.

It was destroyed by the Swedish national bomb squad.

Swedish media also reported a suspected shooting incident near Israel’s embassy in Stockholm in May.

On Thursday, Sweden’s domestic security agency accused Iran of using criminal networks as proxy to target Israeli and/or Jewish interests in Sweden.

Iranian dissidents and members of the Iranian diaspora are also reportedly among the targets of the Islamic Republic inside the Scandinavian country.

"The security-threatening activities of the Iranian regime and its security services have also targeted representatives of other states, including Israel, that Iran regards as enemies of its regime. Such activities could be carried out with a view to harming Israeli and Jewish interests, targets, and activities in Sweden," the Swedish Security Service said in a news release.

The news release identified Iran, in addition to Russia and China, as the "greatest security threats to Sweden."

The head of Sweden’s security service's counterintelligence, Daniel Stenling, raised the accusations at a news conference Thursday, according to Reuters.

Israeli media, including the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post, reported that an organized crime ring in Sweden called Foxtrot and rival gang Rumba were behind separate attacks, all under Iran's direction, according to Mossad.

According to Israeli media, Foxtrot is one of the largest criminal organizations in Sweden and operates in other European countries as well. The gang is known for murders and large-scale drug trafficking.

Foxtrot's head, Rawa Majid, a Swedish citizen of Kurdish origin, is alleged to have been arrested in Iran for criminal activity, then recruited for terror, and allegedly released to carry out terror on Tehran's behalf. He is wanted by the Interpol.

Rumba, headed by Ismail Abdo, was behind the May 17 gunshots near Israel’s embassy in Sweden, according to Israeli media citing the Israeli Intelligence agency.

Alex Selsky, an advisor to the Middle East Forum and former advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Iran International from Israel, that Iran's use of criminal networks to carry out terror on European soil, shows two things: Iran's determination to commit acts of terror, and that it needs to pay for recruitment.

"I think they don't have enough structured operation, which might show that they don't really have such a big support. They just buy it. They buy the operation," said Selsky.

Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Iran International that while he's not surprised, he is concerned.

"It points to the lack of deterrence in the West with respect to Iran. The Islamic Republic feels confident enough that it could get away with literally murder, in trying to harm or assassinate Western nationals on European soil without it paying a significant price," said Brodsky.

He said Iran's use of criminal gangs in the West is the modus operandi of the Iranian regime.

"Plausible deniability," said Brodsky "to try to shield the system from blame whenever these plots are busted or God forbid, a plot is successful."

Brodsky said either Iran's Intelligence Ministry typically or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) link up with these criminal organizations.

Both analysts, Brodsky and Selsky, said Thursday's revelations are more proof of the need to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist entity on the continent.

"What else we must show to Europeans to wake them up?" said Selsky.

Israeli media reported that Foxtrot and Rumba receive funding directly from Iran, and said Mossad believes Iran is taking advantage of rising antisemitism.

The AI generated image of tents in a camp of displaced Gazan Palestinians arranged to read ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ turns the spotlight on the situation of the Palestinians who have been displaced after Israel’s deadly offensive.

The image which was created and shared as an Instagram ‘story’ template by a Malaysian Instagrammer named Shahv4012 has been shared by nearly 45 million users of the platform including some Iranian hardliners. The campaign has also found its way to other platforms such as X.

Activists and social media users opposing the campaign argue that Hamas is directly responsible for the war in Gaza and the deaths of Palestinian civilians and children, whom it uses as 'human shields.' They are part of a large segment of Iranians who say their own people have been suffering under the repression of the Islamic Republic, which also supports and arms Hamas with their money.

“It is Hamas that has forced Israel to go to war, with heinous crimes against Israeli civilians. It wants to force Israel to end the war using the civilian card, now that it is on the verge of destruction. My anger and curses over the killing of Palestinian children are all directed at Hamas terrorists,” journalist Sheragim Zand said in a tweet May 29.

All Eyes on Rafah posted by a student Basij militia group in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan

“Defending Israel is defending morality,” another opponent, pro-monarchy activist Ali Ashtari, tweeted.

Ashtari argued that the only way for Israel to eliminate the threat of Hamas is a military one. “But unfortunately, a military attack, especially in the densely populated area of Gaza, causes civilian casualties too,” he maintained while accusing Hamas of intentionally seeking higher civilian casualties to force the international community to stop Israel’s military operations.

Another expatriate journalist, Neda Sanji, however, in her tweets warned about “fake news and fallacies” which she listed as “opposing the massacre in Gaza equals support for the Islamic Republic”, “Those who oppose the Gaza massacre were silent about the [government’s] killing of the Iranian people”, “opposing the massacre in Gaza equals supporting Hamas”, and “Israel has no choice other than doing what it does to destroy Hamas”.

Post by former football star, Ali Karimi, is now a social heavyweight in Iran 

Sanji also maintained that the social media controversy would benefit the Islamic Republic’s cyber army. “The dust will eventually settle but humanity will be scarred [forever],” she wrote.

Many celebrities in Iran have posted the image as a ‘story’ on their Instagram accounts in the past few days. 

Apparently referring to the current controversy over Gaza, Fariborz Karami-Zand, an expatriate activist with a large social media following, in a tweet Thursday criticized celebrities for “closing their eyes to the crimes of the Islamic Republic”. “Why are they silent about issues related to Iran and their fellow countrymen?” he asked.

Instagram stories of Iranian celebrities in support of Palestinians

In protest against the government’s increasing political and financial support for Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, some demonstrators chanted “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, I’ll sacrifice my life for Iran” during the protests that followed Iran's disputed 2009 presidential elections. This marked the first time such a slogan was used in the history of the Islamic Republic.

The slogan has since then become one of the top slogans during anti-government protests.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has repeatedly condemned this slogan. In a Friday sermon in January 2020, following widespread anti-government protests two months earlier, he accused those who chanted it of hypocrisy. “These people have never sacrificed their lives for Iran or forsaken their comfort and interests for the sake of the country’s security,” he said.

According to Mossad's statement, with just two months until the Paris Olympics 2024, Iran is accused of fostering terrorism on European soil. It is alleged that Iran has commandeered European criminal networks to execute its directives, involving violent acts like grenade attacks and shootings at Israeli embassies.

The recent findings are part of an extensive intelligence operation that spanned multiple European countries, involving close cooperation between Mossad, the Intelligence and Special Task Force, and the General Security Service. Their efforts have reportedly led to the discovery of major criminal organizations operating under instructions from Iran, aiming to inflict harm on identified Israeli targets.

An incident last weekend saw two grenades thrown at the Israeli embassy in Belgium, fortunately resulting in no casualties or damage. The event mirrored a similar attempt in Stockholm earlier this year, where a grenade aimed at the Israeli embassy failed to detonate.

The investigation has put a spotlight on the Swedish criminal organization Foxtrot and its leader Rua Majid, who worked under Iranian guidance. Majid, a fugitive operating from Iran, has been implicated in orchestrating attacks targeting Israeli and Jewish entities across Europe.

The use of criminal proxies by Iranian terrorist organizations is a strategic move to minimize direct political backlash while promoting acts of terrorism while Iran continues its proxy war against Israel. Despite the tactics, Mossad's collaborative efforts with global security agencies have repeatedly exposed Iran's involvement, thwarting numerous planned attacks and highlighting the ongoing threat posed by such operations.

Last year, Mossad chief David Barnea revealed the agency had foiled dozens of Iranian plots against Jewish and Israeli targets across the world from South America to Europe.

Photos received from the UN show that the General Assembly Hall was almost empty during the event. A US official had earlier indicated that the Biden administration would not send a representative to the meeting, although earlier this month they expressed official condolences for Raisi’s death.

The Islamic Republic's state news agency (IRNA) reported that the UN General Assembly, in its first meeting after the death of Raisi and his entourage, observed a minute of silence "in their honor."

IRNA wrote that "the tribute and expression of sympathy from various countries around the world" following Raisi's death has "angered opponents of the Islamic Republic."

There have also been reports of protests held in front of the United Nations in opposition to the memorial ceremony for Raisi, widely condemned by Iranian activists and others worldwide.

Before the ceremony, the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the country would not participate in Raisi's memorial service at the UN.

A spokesperson for the French ambassador to the United Nations told an Iran International reporter that no representative from France would attend the UN memorial service for Raisi.

Previously, Senator Claire Chandler, Chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Committee of Australia, emphasized in a statement that the country should boycott and condemn the UN's tribute to the "Butcher of Tehran."

The statement read: "The Australian government is obligated to boycott today's horrific tribute by the UN General Assembly to a man many Iranians know as the 'Butcher of Tehran'."

Raisi was a member of a “Death Committee” that in 1988 ordered the summary execution of 3,000-5,000 political prisoners who were serving their jail terms. He was also president when nationwide anti-government protests broke out in September 2022, when security forces killed around 550 civilians during four months of unrest and arrested 22,000 others. Dozens of protesters lost eyes and limbs when security forces fired guns at close range.

Earlier this month, the UN Security Council held a moment of silence for Raisi, during which the US representative also stood up and paid tribute. This led to vehement criticism by Iranians and Republican lawmakers.

Senator Tom Cotton and others condemned the Biden administration’s stance, accusing President Joe Biden of pursuing a policy of appeasement toward Iran.

“When I saw one minute of silence at the United Nations… it was a slap on the face of Iranian women who got killed simply for showing their hair,” Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad told ABC News on May 20. “It’s a slap on the face of men getting executed simply for protesting.”

Raisi spent his 45-year career in the Islamic Republic as a prosecutor or Islamic judicial official involved with persecuting dissidents.

"Israel sent messages through Egypt's foreign minister that it will compromise in the war in Gaza to avoid Iran's retaliation," Amirali Hajizadeh said.

However, the claims, made through Iran's state media, seem unlikely as Israel has continued to deepen its operation into Rafah, Hamas's last stronghold in south Gaza, in spite of warnings from the International Criminal Court, as the Jewish state continues with its war aims to eliminate Hamas and return the remaining 125 hostages being held in Gaza.

In April, Iran initiated its first direct assault on Israeli soil with over 350 drones and missiles, a response to what Iran claimed was an Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus, an incident resulting in the deaths of seven officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a senior commander. 

Although the majority of the projectiles were intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition, Hajizadeh has claimed that Iran's strike nonetheless succeeded in "destroying" targeted Israeli military bases, while imagery from the Nevatim air base shows only limited damage. 

Last month, Hajizadeh asserted that the aerial assault on Israel was executed using limited military capabilities, saying, "We had to use a great number of missiles and drones to get through Israel's Iron Dome, we used 20% of our military capability in the operation".