The policy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has launched a new campaign aiming to "dismantle the Iranian regime's infiltration network across Europe."
The campaign - #KhameneiFreeZone - started in the UK before moving to other European countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Austria.
UANI explained that since the 1980s, Ayatollah Khamenei and the IRGC have used ideological centers and mosques to "spread Islamist extremist ideology, propagate extreme antisemitism, enable radicalization, and coordinate terror activities."
Part of making a #KhameneiFreeZone involves exposing the organizations operating on behalf of Iran in Europe and then pushing the centers to shut down.
As UANI’s 2025 campaign gains momentum, it will start in the United Kingdom this month and move on to additional major European capitals this year. View the #KhameneiFreeZone Campaign video below and visit the resource here: https://t.co/X2K8dX2nC0 pic.twitter.com/SLdF20pDMo
— UANI (@UANI) January 8, 2025
Iranian centers in the UK
UANI has identified the different fronts used by the regime in the UK, including the "Islamic Center England" in London, which operates as Khamenei’s official UK headquarters.
An example of the center's extremist activities includes the filming of an IRGC-affiliated propaganda anthem – “Salute Commander” – on its premises. In the anthem, British children pledge allegiance to Khamenei and their commitment to kill Jews and infidels.
The center also hosted IRGC-linked activity, such as a 2020 vigil for IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani.
Other organizations in the UK include the Islamic Students Association, which is affiliated with the IRGC and propagates antisemitism, and the Islamic College, which is a branch of a Khamenei-led university.
The UANI campaign is not grounded in hypothetical threats - in October 2024, MI5 confirmed it had thwarted at least 20 Khamenei regime-backed terror plots in the UK since 2022.
In April 2024, a British journalist was stabbed in London in an IRGC terror attack.
The network
“For far too long, Britain and the EU have failed to take action against the network of infiltration centers tied to the Ayatollah’s regime," Kasra Aarabi, Director of IRGC research at UANI, told the Jewish Chronicle.
“Our campaign says enough is enough. We need to dismantle this network or centers and make Britain and Europe and Khamenei free zone."
The Shadow Justice Secretary, Robert Jenrick, said the UK has a framework for dismantling Khamenei's network and asked the current government to enact it.
"I am urging the government to take action," he told the JC, "to close down centers that propagate this material, to expel where possible those representatives who are leading this activity in the UK, and to ensure that the UK is not a hub for the spread of Islamist radicalization or antisemitism."
Tom Tugendhat MP dismissed the notion that the Iranian regime is merely anti-Israel, saying, “We know that the Khamenei regime is particularly targeting Jews."
“We need to make sure that Jewish life is free in the UK, as it should be anywhere in the world, and we must also stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters who are facing threats from the IRGC," he added.