The British government has not funded Iran's influence network in Western countries, the UK Foreign Office told Iran International, rejecting remarks by a Swedish-Iranian scholar who said his involvement in the scheme was backed by the UK government.
"We have no record of funding for the IEI or any departmental work with them," the UK Foreign Office said in response to an inquiry about funding for the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), a network linked to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In late January, a report by Sweden’s TV4 revealed Roozbeh Parsi, the director of the Swedish Institute for International Affairs’ Middle East program, was involved in the IEI, a network formed by Tehran to expand its influence in the West.
Parsi denied any cooperation with the Iranian government, saying his participation in the Iran-led initiative was backed up by the UK government.
"I was doing this on behalf of the British Foreign Office," he wrote in a response published by Expressen, one of Sweden's most prominent dailies, on January 31. "For the British Foreign Office, which financed our participation, and other governments in the West, it was about strengthening their positions ahead of the negotiations on [Iran's] nuclear program."
The Swedish media's investigation, which cited emails provided by Iran International, followed a 2023 joint exposé by Iran International and Semafor that detailed Tehran’s efforts to cultivate relationships with academics and analysts abroad to expand its soft power.
Inquiry into allegations
In 2023, a spokesman for the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR) also told Iran International that "the Iran Expert Initiative was a European-government backed initiative that ECFR staff sometimes took part in but did not lead on."
The ECFR spokesman declined to name the European government.
Samafor's Steve Clemons cited in 2024 a British government source as saying that the funding came from London.
Sweden's Foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said on Thursday the country had launched an inquiry into allegations that Parsi was involved in the Tehran-led influence network aimed at shaping Western policy.
The top diplomat said the government had contacted the Swedish Institute of International Affairs for more information, calling the allegations “very serious.”
She warned that Iran, along with Russia and China, is conducting extensive intelligence operations in Sweden.
Amid celebratory gatherings attended by state officials, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday: “If the US were sincere about negotiations, why did they sanction us?”
Reflecting Tehran's concerns about returning to the negotiating table with President Donald Trump who, during his first term, pulled out of the 2015 nuclear accord and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran, Pezeshkian said: “He says, ‘Let’s have a dialogue,’ and at the same moment, he signs memos for all possible conspiracies against Iran.”
Further casting doubt on recent hopes for rapprochement amid a mood of mistrust, Pezeshkian accused Washington of orchestrating conspiracies against Iran while proposing talks and claimed it was Tehran's archenemy Israel, not Iran, that destabilized the Middle East.
The comments followed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s recent statement that negotiations with the US are “unwise and dishonorable.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed similar sentiments, saying, “What they mean by negotiation is surrender. Iran negotiated in good faith, but the other side failed to fulfill its commitments and withdrew from the [2015 nuclear] agreement. Why should we trust them?”
Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh also rejected talks under current conditions, saying, “We will not negotiate under sanctions and threats, and we do not recognize the new US administration.”
IRGC Aerospace Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh mocked Trump’s threats, saying, “He does not have such courage. A powerful Iran does not submit to coercion.”
Like previous years, a statement was released by the government after the ceremony stressing that as the Supreme Leader said it is not wise or honorable to hold negotiations with the US.
“The government must strengthen security and intelligence structures to prevent the infiltration of enemy agents and divisive movements within the country’s institutions,” added the statement
The document also called for a stronger military. "We expect national officials to take decisive action against those disrupting the nation’s psychological security," it continued, "who, by aligning with the enemy, attempt to distort the truth.”
As officials rallied in support of the Islamic Republic, protests erupted in Tehran and other cities on Sunday night, where citizens chanted slogans such as “Death to the dictator” and showed anger at Supreme Leader Khamenei during state-organized fireworks displays.
The ongoing public unrest underscores the tensions within Iran as it faces mounting international and domestic challenges in the midst of its crushing economic crisis.
