Iran has used human-smuggling networks to move suspected covert operatives into Britain aboard small boats crossing the English Channel, The Telegraph reported, citing Iranian officials, smugglers and sources familiar with British security operations.
Individuals linked to Tehran’s intelligence agencies have reportedly been intercepted by British authorities while attempting to enter the country by boat. Iranian-linked trafficking networks are also accused of helping migrants living near Calais reach Britain in exchange for future “favours” after settling in the country.
The suspected operatives are believed to have ties to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. Iranian officials told The Telegraph that some smuggling routes between the Middle East and the Channel are controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with parts of the network allegedly operated by Unit 700, the logistics arm of the IRGC’s Quds Force.
One Iranian official claimed that “revolutionary people” had already been positioned in London and were awaiting instructions from Tehran. The official said the smuggling routes were more useful to Iran than missiles because they could provide the regime with individuals already inside Britain.
British authorities have reportedly used drones, artificial-intelligence-equipped surveillance towers and other monitoring systems to identify Iranian-linked individuals arriving on small boats. However, officials believe the number entering through Channel crossings is far smaller than the number of IRGC-affiliated people arriving legally on flights from Europe.
Security officials also reportedly view the radicalization and activation of members of Britain’s Iranian diaspora, as well as Tehran’s use of local criminal proxies, as a greater threat than the small-boat route itself.
MI5 Director-General Ken McCallum warned last October that the agency had tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots during the previous year. He also said Tehran had made extensive use of criminals, including drug traffickers, to carry out missions in Britain.
Two Iranian smugglers told The Telegraph that some trafficking routes were controlled in the background by the Iranian government. One said migrants fleeing poverty could be offered cheaper passage in exchange for agreeing to carry out unspecified favours after reaching Britain.
Alicia Kearns, Britain’s shadow security minister, called for an urgent task force to identify Iranian agents among migrants who have already arrived, along with stronger measures targeting the IRGC and Iran’s intelligence ministry.
A Home Office spokesman said national security remained the government’s top priority and that small-boat arrivals undergo stringent security checks. Anyone identified as a threat would be detained immediately and removed at the earliest opportunity, the spokesman said.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
