Iran Is Not Israel’s Problem. It’s Britain’s Problem.

Why should your average British person care about Iran?

The Islamic Republic of Iran, to many in the West, particularly in the UK, is seen as Israel’s issue. As America’s issue. As a Middle Eastern issue. With Iran being thousands of miles away, it is a country so far that Brits are so ignorant to think that they wouldn’t dare attack us. While in the UK we don’t necessarily see ballistic missiles and cluster bombs sent via the IRGC, it does not mean we aren’t under attack. The truth is, the Iranian Regime is already active in Britain; they are embedded in our communities, they are on our doorsteps. British citizens have already been affected; our Jewish community is being surveilled and is under attack, and more importantly, Britain’s security is already threatened. The days when we questioned whether Iran poses a threat to Britain are long gone. The question we must ask ourselves now is why we are still pretending it doesn’t exist. Our Government is silent, and the general public is totally unaware. 

Britain has misunderstood Iran:

Time and time again, when we assess Iran through a security lens, we often refer to its ability to create nuclear weapons; we talk about it almost as if nuclear weapons, and even Iran’s already-existing missiles and rockets, are its only weapons of war. We assume the situation with Iran is isolated. After all, we only typically hear threats towards Israel and the US. But the reality is, Iran operates on a global scale. Along with its strong, cult-like, revolutionary language, it exports such ideologies abroad and even into Europe. 

If we assess Israel’s security situation, whereby the state faces Islamist-inspired terror on almost every front, we see the common denominator. Whether it’s Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, or militias in Iraq and Syria, all of them are offspring of the Iranian Regime. Iran works with its proxies in such collaborative ways that each group can come together and attack Israel at its weakest points. The world saw that type of horror unfold on October 7th 2023. While Hamas delivered catastrophic blows to Israel, Hezbollah were eyeing coordinated attacks into Northern Israel. 

But the proxies extend further than the Middle East, with new groups emerging in Europe like Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya – The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand targeting Brits in London. Iran is more than just missiles and nuclear threats. The regime uses intimidation; it carries out espionage on British soil. Our politicians in Westminster continue to treat Iran more as a diplomatic challenge, rather than as a security risk, with the Green Party even submitting a motion for their conference this year, calling for the lifting of Iranian sanctions and a change in approach, leaning towards diplomacy. 

Not the future, but the present: The Iranian Regime is already in Britain

If we learn one lesson from Israel, it’s that we must stop being cowardly on the defensive; Britain should be on high alert, and the Government should act and protect us before it’s too late. How long will it be until Europe experiences its own devastating, blood-soaked October 7th-style massacre? This is not an exaggeration.

In October 2025, Ken McCallum at MI5 declared that British security forces tracked more than twenty Iran-backed terror plots in the previous year. Those predominantly targeted on British soil have included Iranian dissidents, figures who oppose the regime, Israelis, the Jewish community, sectors of the Government, and even journalists. Let’s get this straight. This is an attack on our freedoms, our democracy, our way of life, and our values.  

The Iranian Regime is no friend of Britain and must be taken seriously. If we look at 2025 alone, in May, four Iranians were detained over a suspected assassination plot. That’s right, on British soil. Not forgetting the other handful of Iranians later in the year, in September 2025, charged with espionage. Passing information to Tehran’s terror regime is in some ways more dangerous than a missile attack. The British Government seems to always be one step behind, almost like it sometimes needs a push, a leg-up. They tend to focus on a collective international arrangement to strike Iran, whether that be on trade, business, or security. In June, the British Government joined twenty-four states in condemning Iranian attacks abroad. But simply put, this is not enough. Britain must go further and faster. We must not wait for others to give us the go-ahead; our elected politicians should shift into a higher gear and take Iran seriously. When the regime or its proxies threaten us, take them seriously. When dissidents are facing surveillance and our own people are escaping kidnapping attempts, it’s only right that we raise the alarm. 

Iranian Press in the UK:

The threats and the attacks extend to our free press, journalists and political commentators here in Britain, with two broadcasters in particular, subject to the majority of such trouble. BBC News Persian and Iran International, both based in London. In June 2025, the BBC Director General warned that there had been a ‘sharp and deeply troubling’ escalation in the abuse of its BBC Persian journalists, including campaigns of intimidation and ‘serious extraterritorial threats’ both in the UK and in Iran. The BBC went on to describe the alarming environment in which its journalists are subject to arbitrary interrogations, having their passports confiscated, and even threats to take away assets from family members. 

As for Iran International, they reported that 45 journalists and 315 family members had been targeted in the space of just 6 weeks – clearly an intimidation campaign on a whole new level. According to the News outlet, significantly different from the campaign against BBC Persia, these journalists were given set deadlines in which they were demanded to resign, or else they’d be murdered. Iran International also reported that since its founding nearly 10 years ago, its staff have been subject to constant harassment, including threats to kill, threats of kidnapping, as well as physical assault and even hacking. This is not a Middle Eastern issue, nor is it an issue for Israel. This is a British issue. Oppression from the Iranian Regime does not stay contained within its borders; it is spreading like a disease. 

When Iranians are fleeing the Islamic Republic, they quite rightly expect the oppression to end there. Instead, it follows them. When such activities are happening here in Britain, it is no longer an issue that is 3000+ miles away; it is confronting us on our doorsteps. 

The frontline of Iran’s War: Britain’s Jewish Community

Whether it’s an Iran-backed attack in Manchester or an attack in London, it does not matter who the target is. The fact is, these are attacks on British soil, end of story. The moment in which an Iran-backed Islamist terror group takes responsibility for an attack, it stops being a Middle Eastern conflict; it becomes a British security issue that impacts all of us. Indeed, the British Jewish Community will often be the first on the firing line as targets of the Iranian Regime. Why? Islamists have a history of being severely fixated on Jews, and therefore Iran monitors anyone with a connection to the World’s only Jewish state.

Right – wing Brits will often ask me, “Why do Jews get special treatment?” referring to the excessive amount of security they require.  This is just one example; if it isn’t the far – right or the far-left, it’s Islamists that have a desire to target Jews, often in the most deadly way possible. And so when Jewish charities like CST get lots of funding from the Government, it is not because of some secret cabal or conspiracy theory; put simply, Jews are often the first in the firing line. Having been to synagogues, Jewish schools, and venues in the community, I’ve seen first-hand the security realities. Whether it’s anti-ramming terror barriers, super high fences, security guards outside of places of worship, registering your details before entry, or being told, with emphasis, the emergency evacuation plan before an event. It is not particularly pleasant, and is strikingly different from any other. 

Earlier this year, Golders Green, a predominantly Jewish area in London, experienced firebomb attacks on Hatzolah ambulances; later, an Islamist terrorist, a 45-year-old man from Somalia, was charged with attempted murder following the stabbing of 2 Jews. 2026 has also seen assassination plots and espionage on the Jewish community in London. The Regime in Tehran may seem to only threaten us physically, but they also undermine freedom of religion, human security, and democratic features – all of which stem from our core British values and make up our way of life.

If one of our oldest minorities in Britain no longer feels safe or protected by the state, what does that say about Britain’s ability to protect everyone else? While it may seem the Regime targets only Jews, it remains that they come after journalists, the Iranian diaspora, government officials, and anyone speaking out against the barbaric Islamic Regime. While today it may be Jews, tomorrow it could be you. 

Iran’s War Against British Society:

When we look at Iran, or any hostile country for that matter, we often think terrorism is a singular act of terror, a stabbing, bombing, shooting. But if we step away from that definition of terrorism for a moment and instead look at how the Tehran Regime invokes terror upon Britain in less obvious ways, we can see Iran meddling in our political operations, campaigns of fear and intimidation, along with very prevalent radicalisation, often resulting in further community divisions. So when you next think about security, consider the societal security consequences. 

If we take, for example, April 2026, the UK had to summon its Iranian ambassador over the embassy’s dangerous comments made online. The comments made on Telegram called on Iranians residing in Britain to volunteer to sacrifice their lives in a war that defends their country. Was this post calling on Iranians in Britain to perform jihad? The type of jihad we’ve seen in Manchester, in London. 

If we take a glance at Iranian interference within our politics and sectarianism, just last month, the Jewish Chronicle reported that Iran was blackmailing expats in the UK to attend Pro-Palestine protests. Iranians in Britain have been called up from Iran, demanding that they participate in anti-Israel, anti-war protests.

One individual in the report mentioned that the caller was very specific about the protests that they must attend, naming organisations like the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Others were shown photos of them protesting against the regime and were forced to remove anti-regime material from their social media accounts. This is dangerous meddling with British society. If people in London are being told what to say, what to do, which campaigns to support, and to promote ‘pro-resistance’ demonstrations, this reflects a society that is being controlled by hostile states. 

Iran does not need to launch missiles to invoke danger and fear in Britain; instead, they do so by silencing their critics via threats to kill, spreading fear, and creating division within British society. All of which result in a lack of confidence in our Government. The Tehranian Regime is intelligent in its planning – they understand, unlike many in the West, how societies can be weakened without a single shot needing to be fired. When Regime-Supporting Iranians are chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, we must not mistake this for nasty slogans based on geography; it’s something much more threatening. The Regime and its supporters are chanting against Western civilisation – they present their hatred against liberal democracy, pluralism, Western institutions in general, and, more importantly, free speech.

Just because we don’t regularly hear “Death to Britain” doesn’t mean that Iran doesn’t see us as an enemy, because they do. So long as Iran is governed by the Islamic Regime, it’s a country that is no friend to Britain, or the West for that matter. The Islamic Republic’s hate and barbarism, it’s blood-thirsty intimidation campaigns, don’t stop at Israel’s border, it extends to every single society that embeds such values that Iran hates. That’s why when we hear politicians or groups like the Green Party in the UK calling for closer ties and more of a diplomatic approach to the Regime in Tehran, we call it out and stand firm. 

Concluding thoughts:

Iran isn’t an isolated Middle Eastern issue. Iran is Britain’s problem. It is a country that is fundamentally incompatible with our way of life in Britain and threatens us at every opportunity. 

The average Briton must care about the threat Iran poses to each of us and our communities. 

The only time I hear concern from the British people regarding Iran is when it comes to oil, when the price of petrol is too high. The average Brit must stop being ignorant and turning a blind eye to the issues standing right in front of us. We cannot have a serious conversation about security until we confront Iran’s monstrous Regime. Whether it’s educating ourselves, lobbying our politicians, or expressing our concerns online, we should continue to speak out about Iran instead of cowering away from the topic. 

When we think about Iran, stop thinking about Israel for a second. Consider the actions of the Iranian Regime here in Britain, on our doorsteps, embedded in our communities. If it’s not terror plots to kill as many of us as possible, it’s assassination attempts on our neighbours and allies, its espionage on our minority communities, threats against our journalists to shut down the free press, and its campaigns of hate and intimidation. Anything to create or expand division within our society.

Traditionally, Britain has always viewed Iran as somebody else’s problem. If it’s not Israel’s problem, then surely it’s America’s problem? Our politicians assume it’s a Middle Eastern issue and we shouldn’t involve ourselves. The far- left and the Islamists, in their unholy alliance, unite to shout at us across London every month about how we must stop Israel and America. Yet, I’ve been at the Anti-IRGC demonstrations, and I learned from Iranians immediately that the Regime is no friend of ours; it’s one of our most dangerous enemies.

Generally speaking, when we think about espionage and surveillance, the countries that instantly pop into our minds are China and Russia, but Iran needs to be a part of this sequence. We must not see the Regime as thousands of miles away. It’s here in Britain. They operate on British soil, target British people, come after British communities, threaten our British freedoms, and they continue to push their boundaries and test British security.

We should stop questioning whether or not Iran poses a threat to Britain and instead start asking ourselves whether Britain is ready to confront such a hostile state.