Uber CEO plots ‘opening up’ of Iran with Israeli-tied monarchist opposition group
GrayzoneAPR 29
BBC: Iran Weaponizes Crime Syndicates for Global Operations
Above: Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, attends a ceremony marking the death anniversary of the late Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, at a square in southern Tehran, Iran, on May 15, 2025. Image copyright: Morteza Nikoubazl/Contributor/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
These underground networks are dangerously sophisticated, allowing Iran to evade sanctions via drug trafficking and launch attacks in the West, particularly against dissidents and Israeli embassies. To end their impunity, enabled by Tehran's proxy strategy, these groups must be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations to disrupt Iran's global terror operations threatening U.S. and European security.
Establishment-critical narrative
The U.S. has long outpaced Iran in criminal gang ties, from WWII Mafia deals to Contra-era cartels, fueling global unrest. Regarding Iran specifically, it was an illegal U.S.-U.K. coup in 1953 that ousted Iran's democratic government, sowing distrust that shapes its defiance today. U.S. and Israeli regime-change threats continue today, which shows Tehran's actions are defensive, not just aggressive.