Iran Uses Migrant Smuggling Routes to Place Operatives in Britain

Iran is using migrant smuggling routes into Britain to move covert operatives into the country, The Telegraph reported on Saturday, citing unnamed Iranian officials, people smugglers, and analysts. The operation is centered on Unit 700, a logistics and smuggling arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, which Britain sanctioned in 2024.

One Iranian official stated that Britain's support for US military operations against Iran made it a target, telling the newspaper: "At the moment we have people right there in London… They wait for us to tell them what to do." Another official went further, claiming Iran had people in Britain who could "even target their prime minister's house" if Tehran chose to do so.

Two people smugglers familiar with routes into Europe told the newspaper that parts of the network were controlled by the Iranian government. These routes, originally established to move weapons, money, and supplies to Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, are also being used to move migrants into Europe, including Britain.

However, British security experts questioned Iran's capability to establish long-term covert networks in Britain. Lynette Nusbacher, a former senior adviser to the Cabinet Office on security matters, suggested Iran lacked the "strategic patience" to plant genuine covert agents. Kristian Gustafson of Brunel University proposed that Tehran's objective might instead be to create enough fear to weaken British support for US operations.