Revolutionaries at Home, Revolutionaries Abroad: Iran and Its Networks in Europe

This chapter considers the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in seeking to develop and sustain influence in Western Europe. Whilst demographic and political realities limit the potential for Iran to lead revolutionary change in European nations, Iran punches above its weight in facilitating and encouraging a political Islam that is inimical to Western political practices such as liberal democracy. In a monograph dedicated to considering Islamism in the context of hybrid warfare, Iranian activities in Europe present a notable case study. For many decades Iran has combined the ability to establish institutions in the West with occasional forays into harder interventions, inciting or using violence towards those it accuses of blasphemy, and against its political enemies in the sizeable Iranian diaspora.