{"id":315645,"date":"2024-02-02T07:38:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T06:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=315645"},"modified":"2024-02-02T07:53:36","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T06:53:36","slug":"irans-regime-and-its-strategic-outsourcing-to-criminal-gangs-worldwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/irans-regime-and-its-strategic-outsourcing-to-criminal-gangs-worldwide\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran’s Regime and Its Strategic Outsourcing to Criminal Gangs Worldwide"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"iran
MOIS-tied drug kingpin Naji Sharif Zindashti (the man in the middle wearing a purple shirt) attends his mother’s funeral in September 2020 accompanied by bodyguards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three minutes read<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The clerical extremists ruling Iran excel in the art of deception and outsourcing their dirty work. They present themselves as devout Muslims and champions of the underprivileged in predominantly Islamic nations, while clandestinely financing, arming, and training paramilitary extremists to sway the political landscape of targeted countries. Despite employing aggressive rhetoric on the global stage, they leverage lobbying firms and articulate spokespeople<\/a> educated in the West to influence international decision-making processes and advocate for a conciliatory stance toward their regime. Iran\u2019s regime also poses as a universal defender of the oppressed worldwide, while it mainly entertains cooperation with illegal entities in almost every continent to execute criminal agendas.<\/p>\n

On Monday, January 29, the United States government leveled charges against a notorious drug smuggler from Iran, accusing him of orchestrating the hiring of two Canadians, one of whom is affiliated with the Hells Angels, to murder two Iranian refugees residing in Maryland. Statements from the Justice Department<\/a> and the Treasury indicate that the accused, Naji Sharifi Zindashti, purportedly operated an assassination ring under the auspices of Iran\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).<\/p>\n

The official Turkish news agency reported in 2020 that Turkish intelligence findings indicated that the MOIS had been using the criminal network of Zindashti and its subsidiaries since 2015 to assassinate and abduct opponents of the Iranian government in Turkey. Naji Sharifi Zindashti has a history of detention in Turkey, but his name came to light in the media after the abduction of Habib Farajallah Chaab, an Iranian dissident. Also known as Habib Asyud, the Iranian-Swedish citizen was abducted in Turkey in October 2020 and was executed in Iran<\/a> on May 6, 2023. Other media outlets reported Zindashti’s involvement in the killings of Saeed Karimian<\/a> (director of Gem TV networks) and Masoud Molavi<\/a> (administrator of a whistleblower channel).<\/p>\n

In 2019, Iranian activist Ahmad Mola Nissi<\/a> was killed in the Netherlands. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed Iran for the deaths of two dissidents in the Netherlands and imposed EU sanctions on an Iranian intelligence unit and officials. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok also cited Iran’s involvement in assassination attempts in Denmark and a bomb plot in France. A Dutch intelligence agency (AIVD) statement said<\/a> middlemen were employed by the Iranian government to kill the two victims.<\/p>\n

\n

How Prof #VidalQuadras<\/a> Landed on #Tehran<\/a>\u2019s Hit Listhttps:\/\/t.co\/wFUg91YS2P<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n