Iran's Invisible Network in Italy: Covert Influence and Repression

After months of investigation, Linkiesta describes a pervasive yet understated Iranian presence woven into Italian society—not in overt statements or war headlines, but operating discreetly beneath the surface.

1. The Cultural Center in Rome: A Strategic Hub

• The Cultural Center at Iran’s Embassy on Via Nomentana functions as more than a venue for interfaith dialogue—it is “an operational hub” orchestrating events, conferences, and exhibitions with explicit political intent: shaping public opinion, generating regime support, and portraying Iran as spiritual, anti-imperialist, and tolerant.

• Joint academic initiatives with Italian universities like Sapienza (Rome), the Politecnico (Milan), and Salento—linked to Iran’s Allameh Tabataba’i, Beheshti, and Imam Khomeini universities—have allegedly received over €1 million in Iranian funding since 2009.

2. Religious Centers & Ideological Messaging

• Tehran-affiliated religious centers in Rome and Milan have held events to commemorate Hezbollah leaders and spread political narratives aligned with Iran’s ideology ().

• Reports describe this as a “shadowy” cultural diplomacy campaign, where soft power and propaganda fuse through academic sponsorships, religious outreach, and curated events.

3. Repression of Dissidents Abroad

• Linkiesta gathered compelling testimonies:

“After some protests in Rome, I was followed for days and my family members in Iran were subjected to house searches. They begged me to stop supporting the movements against the regime.”
“Once, during a sit-in, an official from the Iranian embassy approached us and said: ‘We are monitoring you, and your loved ones back home will cry.’”

• These accounts reveal a direct pattern of intimidation and harassment of Iranian dissidents living in Italy.

4. The Embassy’s Intelligence Cell

• Linkiesta reports a cell of 15–20 operatives inside the embassy tasked with:

  1. Cyber surveillance—monitoring activists online,

  2. Field monitoring—following them in Italy,

  3. Intelligence reporting—sending intel directly to Tehran.
     This unit reportedly works closely with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC foreign branches.

5. Italian Media & Expert Analysis

• Reports describe the network as a “shadowy and complex” campaign mixing surveillance and propaganda under the guise of diplomacy ().

• Wikipedia’s analysis of “Iranian external operations” notes the same discovery, confirming Tehran’s creation of “a sophisticated influence network based in Italy” that uses cultural diplomacy and spyware to suppress dissenters.

6. Diplomatic Context: Italy–Iran Tensions

• Relations between Rome and Tehran have recently strained following the December 2024 reciprocal arrests: Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi in Milan and Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Tehran.

  Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi is an Iranian engineer who was arrested by Italian authorities in Milan in late 2024 on suspicion of involvement in an illicit procurement network tied to Iran’s missile and drone programs. According to Italian investigators, Abedini was part of a front operation acquiring dual-use technologies—components with both civilian and military applications—that violated international sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic. His arrest was coordinated with intelligence from Western allies, and it is believed that his activities were linked to Iran’s expanding weapons development and clandestine logistics chains operating across Europe.

• Cecilia Sala, a prominent Italian journalist and podcast host known for her reporting from conflict zones, was arrested by Iranian authorities while on assignment in Tehran. Initially accused of “violating visa conditions,” her detention quickly escalated into a diplomatic standoff widely interpreted as retaliatory for Abedini’s arrest in Milan. She was held for nearly a month in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, where foreign detainees are often subjected to isolation and psychological pressure. The Italian government, alongside European Union diplomats and press freedom organizations, mounted an intense campaign demanding her immediate release. Her case drew national media coverage in Italy, triggering protests and formal condemnation in Parliament. Sala was eventually released on January 8, 2025, after what Italian officials described as “high-level and delicate negotiations”—a stark reminder of how the Islamic Republic weaponizes foreign nationals as bargaining chips in geopolitical disputes.