The UK Foreign Affairs Committee convened a session Tuesday where experts provided insights on threats posed by Iran as part of the Committee's inquiry into the UK’s international counter-terrorism policy.
Those testifying included Younger and University of St Andrews Professor of Iranian History, Ali Ansari.
During the initial panel, former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger discussed the evaluation of the UK's counter-terrorism policy, focusing on the global threat landscape and factors contributing to terrorism. Leveraging his experience in intelligence and security matters, Younger emphasized the intricate nature of the global threats and underscored the pivotal role of state sponsorship in amplifying the impact of terrorist activities.
When questioned about the complexity added by Iran's involvement with organized crime, Younger emphasized the significant challenge posed when a state supports such activities. “I think all of these do take on a different character if you've got the state behind them.”
Regarding Iranian terrorism, particularly within the Middle East and North Africa region, Younger was asked about the most effective actions the UK should take to mitigate threats to its security emanating from the destabilizing activities of the Iranian State. Younger suggested a "full-court press" approach, highlighting not just Iran but also Russia's activities, further adding:
"They've taken every aspect of state power, proxies, subversion, and cyber and bent all that to a single strategic purpose without regard for law or values and deployed them across the spectrum.”
Younger further stressed the need for a comprehensive response to these hybrid threats, acknowledging the necessity of retaining ethical and legal principles while learning from adversaries' teamwork strategies:
"We've got something to learn about the teamwork aspects of this and the rigor of prioritizing it against key strategic objectives."
In the second panel, University of St Andrews Professor of Iranian History, Ali Ansari addressed the Committee on Iran and its proxies, particularly focusing on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Ansari highlighted concerns about Iran's ideological expansion and propaganda efforts, stressing the need for proactive measures against the IRGC and its activities:
"One of the areas the UK is less prepared and able to contend with is the Iranian regime's ideological expansion and education which is being carried out in a professional and serious level."
Regarding the potential of proscribing the IRGC as a terrorist entity in the UK, Ansari asserted that to effectively address the threat posed by the IRGC, its proxies, and their activities, a more proactive and engaged approach is needed and that simply proscribing it as a terrorist organization is not sufficient to solve the problem. Ansari further proposed that unilateral action might not be as effective as a coordinated approach with European partners and a broader coalition:
"It'd send a stronger signal if it's done with European partners and a broader coalition."
Moreover, Ansari advocated for a more assertive stance against Iran's regime, stressing the imperative of confronting its ideology and enhancing capabilities to effectively counter its activities. He urged:
"We need to start challenging, pushing back and confronting [Iran's regime] in a way the ideology and the toxicity that comes along with it."
Furthermore, Professor Ansari highlighted Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's recent endorsement of "various campus demonstrations in the US”, to show how they are "following his lead". Ansari further suggested that this move by Khamenei is also sending a message to his critics inside Iran and an attempt to show his influence abroad.
Ansari also highlighted the necessity for bolstering language and cultural expertise within security services:
"We need a lot more Persian language speakers and people who understand the language and culture of the land our security services are dealing with. We need to enhance our capabilities, and then be able to push back with a response."
The next session of the Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry into the UK’s international counter-terrorism policy is scheduled for May 7, 2024.
But, who is Babak Zanjani?
As the founder of the largest enterprise in Iran's contemporary history, Zanjani was involved in many business ventures. From transport services to construction, from owning football clubs to selling oil, he has become a tycoon both within Iran and abroad.
During ultra-hardliner populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency in the early 2010s, he was tasked with exporting oil to evade international sanctions.
Once hailed as Iran's richest man, he called himself the soldier of the Islamic revolution working on the economic front to facilitate the country's escape from crippling sanctions.
What was the source of his wealth?
Zanjani was a middleman who sold Iranian oil through companies mainly affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), helping it boost its influence in Iran’s politics far beyond its military remit.
Amid international sanctions, the ultraconservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad allowed the private sector to sell oil internationally; to that end, Zanjani and other individuals set up elaborate networks and laundered money around the globe, including in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Central Asia, aided by a mystery team.
The former tycoon once valued himself at approximately $13.5 billion, a staggering amount in a country where the majority of the economy is owned by the state. Today, one third of Iran’s population is living below the poverty line.
How did he get into trouble?
By evading the sanctions, Zanjani was subject to international penalties, including those from the European Union in December 2012 and the United States in April 2013.
However, the punishments were not only international but also domestic.
When Hassan Rouhani was elected president after Ahmadinejad’s second term (2009-2013), Zanjani was arrested and convicted. According to the new government's Ministry of Oil, Zanjani owed them $1.9 billion in oil revenues.
The shifting political environment in Iran transformed Zanjani into a figure facing legal scrutiny and international sanctions, forcing him into a highly publicized legal battle.
He was subsequently sentenced to death in 2016, but following an appeal for clemency, the penalty was reduced instead to 20 years behind bars on Tuesday.
Could he now walk free?
He has always denied all the allegations of corruption and has pledged to repay all the money he owes if he is released from prison and allowed access to his business network.
The judiciary on Tuesday said the reason behind his reduced sentence was that he “cooperated” and that “his properties abroad were identified and confirmed by experts."
According to Rasul Kohpayehzadeh, Babak Zanjani's attorney, given that more than 10 years have passed since his prison term, his client may be eligible for parole, and “his prison term could be over.”