Mapping Iranian External Operations Worldwide

Since the Islamic Republic’s founding, the regime’s agents and proxies have continuously targeted Iranian dissidents and journalists, diplomats from countries opposed to Tehran’s policies, Israeli and Jewish civilians, and other perceived enemies, using external operations that range from assassination and abduction plots to intimidation campaigns and surveillance. These violations have only increased in tempo and brazenness of late, even extending to senior U.S. officials.

To shed light on this trend, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual launch event for its new interactive map and timeline of Iranian external operations around the world. This open-access tool was built from a unique dataset compiled over the past few years and will be presented at the forum. The event will also feature a panel discussion and Q&A with the following speakers, moderated by Institute fellow Devorah Margolin:

Matthew Levitt, the Institute’s Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow, director of its Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, and creator of the new Iran map tool; former senior intelligence official at the U.S. Treasury Department.

Hans-Georg Engelke, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community.

Magnus Ranstorp, strategic advisor at the Swedish Defence University’s Centre for Societal Security; special advisor to the EU Radicalisation Awareness Network (2011-24).

Norman Roule, nonresident senior advisor with the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; former CIA official whose senior roles included national intelligence manager for Iran.

The Policy Forum series is made possible through the generosity of the Florence and Robert Kaufman Family.