Swedish MP calls for scholar’s dismissal over alleged Iran ties

A Swedish lawmaker called for the dismissal of Rouzbeh Parsi from the Swedish Institute for International Affairs, following a media investigation linking him to a Tehran-directed influence network.

Nima Gholam Ali Pour, an Iranian-born member of Sweden’s Parliament, said on Saturday that Parsi, who heads the Middle East and North Africa program at the institute, should not be employed by an organization funded by taxpayers.

“I will continue to work on this issue in the Riksdag until Rouzbeh Parsi is fired. It is completely unacceptable that a person who has promoted the interests of the Iranian regime should work for a tax-financed organization in Sweden,” he wrote on X.

His remarks follow a report by Sweden’s TV4, which linked Parsi to a network established by Iran’s foreign ministry to influence Western policy. The network referenced emails shared by Iran International, which had earlier revealed Tehran’s attempts to influence foreign analysts in a 2023 collaborative investigation with Semafor.

Gholam Ali Pour highlighted Iran’s history of espionage and illicit operations in Sweden, writing, “The Iranian regime has been conducting espionage in Sweden for decades. The regime has also planned assassinations in Sweden and uses criminal networks in Sweden to carry out acts of violence against other states and individuals.”

His comments come months after Sweden’s Security Service and Israel’s Mossad warned that Tehran was leveraging criminal groups in Europe to target Israeli embassies and individuals.

According to Reuters, Sweden’s security agency announced in May that Iranian operations had extended to foreign diplomatic representatives as well as opposition figures within the Iranian diaspora.

In a reference to European efforts to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, Gholam Ali Pour questioned Parsi’s role. “Should we expect the Institute of Foreign Policy to also employ “researchers” who support North Korea, Russia and China?” he asked.

Parsi has denied any cooperation with Tehran, saying that while Iran sought to shape Western perspectives, his participation was in the interest of foreign governments, including the UK’s Foreign Office.