Elite Unit 700 of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), responsible for logistics and covert operations abroad, has adapted illegal human trafficking networks to infiltrate its agents into the United Kingdom. This is reported by the newspaper The Telegraph, citing sources in European and Middle Eastern security services.
According to the publication, routes that for decades were used to transport weapons, funds and operatives to Iran’s allies in the Middle East (primarily Syria and Lebanon) are now also being employed for the illegal smuggling of migrants and drugs into Europe. British intelligence services fear that these channels could be used to insert Iranian agents into the country.
Unit 700, the logistics arm of the Quds Force, specialises in moving weapons and equipment to pro-Iranian militias. The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the unit in 2024 for activity intended to destabilise the country and other states. A separate unit, designated Unit 190, handles the physical transportation of consignments.
According to The Telegraph’s investigation, British authorities have already intercepted individuals suspected of links to Iranian intelligence services while attempting to enter the UK on small boats across the English Channel. People smugglers claim that Iranian structures control certain sections of the routes from the Middle East into Europe and sometimes help migrants reach Britain in exchange for a “favour” after they settle in the country.
Iranian sources quoted by the newspaper state that “revolutionary people” are already in London waiting for instructions from Tehran. One of them noted that such routes are “more useful than missiles” and that Iran “does not need a missile to target London.”
Security experts, however, express doubts about Iran’s ability to establish sustainable long-term agent networks inside the country. Sources also note that the number of IRGC-linked individuals who have entered Britain legally on flights from Europe is likely greater than those who attempted to cross by boat.