The Covert War Waged Against Iran on British Streets: How MI5 Are Battling Threat from Rogue State in UK . . . and Why Tehran Is Asserting More of Its Influence Abroad

The arrests of seven Iranians in two major anti-terror operations over the weekend coincide with growing concern about the rogue state's activities on British soil. A covert war is currently being waged by UK security forces to try to prevent Iran from targeting its enemies on our streets. The shocking scale of this threat was made clear last year by MI5 director general Ken McCallum, who said spies and police had identified 20 credible Iranian plots to kill or kidnap people in the UK since 2022. . . . Experts have also warned that some Iranians who come to study at British universities as international students on state scholarships are also spies. Kasra Aarabi, of the United Against Nuclear Iran think-tank, said IRGC recruiters did not focus on hiring British Iranians, who are usually secular and oppose the Ayatollah regime. But British Shias who originated from Pakistan, Iraq and Lebanon were targeted at the Arbaeen festival in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala, which attracts up to 20 million pilgrims a year.