These are some of the alarming but fascinating stories on the dangers posed to the UK and British people by Iranian agents and their deadly proxies, revealed by spy agencies in an official report.
square INTELLIGENCE Iran threat to UK increases 'significantly' with fears of kidnap and assassinations
Read More
But it’s the examples scattered throughout its 246 pages – disclosing many specific cases for the first time – that highlight how serious the situation is.
From phishing attempts to counter-espionage efforts, here are some of the most startling and intriguing nuggets of information contained in the report.
On one occasion, an Iranian national residing in the UK was convinced to travel to a foreign nation “to meet an individual that they had met online”. This was “part of an operation to attempt to force them to return to Iran”, where returnees can face execution.
Targeting of British universities
Iran’s regime has been aiming to “acquire material and knowledge from UK industry and academia to support the development of its military”. This includes attempts to boost its nuclear programme.
MI5 has issued at least two “espionage alerts” to Whitehall departments over Iranian agents operating in the UK, the report says.
Matthew Dunn, a former MI6 official, said Iran has been “aggressively active” in the UK, and British intelligence agencies have been “firefighting” Tehran’s clandestine activities for decades.
Charming Kitten
Many cyber groups around the world have used curious names, from Cozy Bear to Cult of the Dead Cow, and Iran’s online warriors are no different. One unit named Charming Kitten has targeted academic sources that might hold “nuclear-related information”.
Iranian cyber forces have become “proficient” in their use of “spear-phishing,” the report states. This is where they try to “gain credentials that confirm an individual’s identity and to deploy malware”, the report warns.
Iran has used various cyber groups to carry out online intelligence operations (Image: Mirsad Sarajlic/ Getty/iStockphoto)
How British firms are targeted overseas
Yet another Iranian-linked unit, called APT33, is said to be “one of the most active cyber groups in the Middle East”.
Although this operation was intended to harm Iran’s major rival Saudi Arabia, the report warns that it “demonstrates Iran’s willingness to risk collateral damage and the potential threat to UK energy security”.
“Sometimes these criminals are recruited as operatives who themselves are not aware of the purpose of their activity,” the report says. “This includes using drug-smuggling networks.”
Top-secret UK counter-espionage operations
A variety of mysterious British spying missions against Iranian opponents are revealed by the report. Some are so secret that only their codenames are revealed – such as Operation Ginger, on which every single detail was redacted. But more has been allowed through by the censors on others.
square IRAN AnalysisIran's regime is at crisis point — why what happens next should worry the West
Read More
Operation Anise tackled assassination plots by the Iranian Intelligence Services against Iranian dissidents in Europe. It was initiated in 2018 against “a criminal network run by narcotics trafficker and IIS agent Naji Sharifi Zindashti, an Iranian national based in Turkey”, the document says.
The report claims that British officers had a “significant disruptive effect” against the gang. It also identified individuals “deemed to have direct involvement in the assassinations” of three Iranian dissidents on the continent between 2015 and 2017, with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security held responsible.
Concerns about the UK’s fightback
The ISC report was sharply critical of the UK Government’s approach to Iran, accusing it of “too much talking, at the expense of action” – although it concluded its evidence sessions in late 2023, before Labour came into office last year.
The committee, which has privileged access to scrutinise government and intelligence agency work, concluded that UK policy on Iran has been driven largely by concerns over its nuclear programme, “to the exclusion of other issues,” and has “suffered from a focus on crisis management”.
Wright has grown concerned about the lack of a “coordinated, long-term strategy on Iran” within Whitehall, worrying that it’s not clear “who’s in charge” because responsibilities are split between different departments and agencies.
Individuals who could be targeted in the UK “will not be able to feel safe,” he said. He urged the Government to send a clear message to Tehran that its behaviour has been “truly unacceptable”.
Hence then, the article about honey traps and cyber attacks the secret iranian plots on uk soil was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Honey traps and cyber attacks: The secret Iranian plots on UK soil )
Also on site :