An investigation by Swedish news outlet TV4 Nyheterna has uncovered damning evidence linking Rouzbeh Parsi, a well-known Iran analyst in Sweden, to a covert Iranian regime influence network. The leaked documents, originating from the Iranian regime’s Foreign Ministry, confirm that Parsi, who serves as the head of the Middle East program at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI), was actively involved in a Tehran-backed lobbying operation designed to manipulate Western discourse in favor of the Iranian regime.
According to TV4 Nyheterna’s report, Parsi was a participant in the Iranian Experts Initiative (IEI), a secret network aimed at shaping pro-regime narratives in Western media, academia, and policy-making institutions. The network, directly managed by former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, sought to plant influential individuals in European think tanks and media platforms to promote Tehran’s foreign policy objectives.
Leaked Documents Reveal Parsi’s Deep Engagement with Iranian Officials
The leaked Foreign Ministry emails directly contradict Parsi’s past claims of neutrality, proving that he attended high-level meetings organized by Iranian diplomats and worked alongside senior figures with close ties to the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps).
The documents confirm that:
- Parsi attended the inaugural meeting of the Iranian Experts Initiative on May 14, 2014, at the five-star Palais Coburg Hotel in Vienna—a gathering fully funded by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
- The Iranian regime meticulously selected and approved members of the group, treating them as unofficial regime spokespeople in Europe.
- Emails show that Iran’s then-Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and his deputy, Saeed Khatibzadeh, personally oversaw and coordinated the network’s activities, including who should be involved and what messages they should push.
- Iranian officials referred to Parsi and other participants as “our friends”, recognizing their role in promoting Tehran’s foreign policy in European think tanks and media outlets.
Läckta dokument avslöjar: Iranexperten Rouzbeh Parsi kopplas till påverkansnätverk • ”Jag står helt fri från alla stater”: https://t.co/7ozR6LiPr5
— TV4 Nyheterna (@Nyheterna) January 28, 2025
When confronted by TV4 Nyheterna, Parsi attempted to downplay his involvement, claiming that he only participated in the meetings to “understand how Iranian decision-makers think.” However, leaked emails from Iranian diplomats expose this as a blatant misrepresentation. Internal correspondence shows Iranian officials celebrating how Parsi and others successfully published articles and commentaries that pushed Tehran’s official line in Western media.
Spreading Disinformation to Protect Tehran
This is not the first time Rouzbeh Parsi has been linked to pushing pro-Iranian regime narratives in Europe. During the Swedish trial of Hamid Noury, a former Iranian prison official convicted of crimes against humanity for his role in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, Parsi played a key role in disseminating misleading information.
According to court records, Parsi deliberately distorted the historical relationship between the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MEK/PMOI) and Iraq, falsely claiming that the MEK received extensive military support from Saddam Hussein. These claims were exposed as fabricated, with legal experts confirming that Parsi’s testimony had no credible sources and was a direct reflection of Tehran’s disinformation campaigns.
Documents from the Swedish Court of Appeals (November 2023) highlight how Parsi’s testimony was used as part of Iran’s broader efforts to delegitimize its opposition.
Tracing #Iran’s Web of Influence in #European Politicshttps://t.co/MHj1gvKCtv
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 26, 2023
The Iranian Experts Initiative (IEI)—of which Parsi was a member—was created to embed regime-friendly analysts in Western policy circles.
- It was orchestrated by Javad Zarif and Saeed Khatibzadeh, who personally recruited analysts to influence European policy on Iran.
- The goal was to shift narratives away from Iran’s human rights abuses, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression, and instead promote engagement and appeasement.
- Other known members of IEI include Ellie Geranmayeh (European Council on Foreign Relations) and Adnan Tabatabai (Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient).
Leaked emails confirm that:
- IEI members coordinated their public writings and media appearances with Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
- Some members even submitted articles for approval by Iranian officials before publishing them in Western media.
- The network regularly provided talking points to European think tanks and policy institutions to ensure Iran’s positions were amplified in major debates.
Rouzbeh Parsi’s connections to pro-Iran lobbying go beyond Europe—his brother Trita Parsi is the founder of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), the most influential pro-Iran lobbying group in Washington, D.C.
NIAC has been accused of operating as an undeclared lobby for Tehran, with leaked documents showing direct communication between Trita Parsi and Iran’s then-ambassador to the UN, Javad Zarif. NIAC has long advocated for policies favorable to the Iranian regime, including opposing sanctions and dismissing concerns about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The mouthpiece of Zarif, mullahs' von Ribbentrop, is the last person on Earth to question the integrity of a US daily. He & his ministry must first answer what the hell their terrorist-diplomat was doing in trying to bomb #Iran opposition rally in the heart of Europe. @WashTimes https://t.co/eREylrZEso
— Ali Safavi (@amsafavi) January 1, 2021
Following NIAC’s increasing exposure, Trita Parsi founded the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think tank promoting an appeasement policy toward Iran under the guise of ‘anti-war’ advocacy. (Iran News, November 26, 2023)
The Need for a European Crackdown on Iranian Influence Operations
The TV4 Nyheterna exposé on Rouzbeh Parsi and the Iranian Experts Initiative (IEI) provides another wake-up call for European governments about the depth of Iran’s infiltration into Western policymaking institutions.
As Iran continues its crackdown on domestic dissent, nuclear expansion, and regional aggression, Western democracies must confront Tehran’s influence operations head-on—before individuals like Rouzbeh Parsi succeed in further shaping policies that benefit the clerical dictatorship at the expense of human rights and global security.