A prominent European think tank, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI), is investigating one of its staffers for inappropriate ties to the Iranian government. UI Director Jakob Hallgren initially defended Rouzbeh Parsi, the head of the institute’s Middle East and North Africa Program, after Parsi was implicated in Iran’s influence operations in late January. But in February, UI announced an investigation into “the serious allegations” against Parsi and possible “changes to UI’s procedures and regulations if the investigation concludes that such a need exists.” The think tank’s investigation is expected to be completed in April.
This should have been looked into a long time ago...
Parsi’s Connections to Iran
Parsi is allegedly linked to the “Iranian Experts Initiative,” which was “guided from Tehran,” according to the news outlet Iran International. The network aimed at shaping Western academic discourse and policy regarding Iran. Established by Iran’s Foreign Ministry in 2014, the initiative recruited Western academics—usually second-generation Iranians—to promote Tehran’s interests. Parsi attended its inaugural meeting in Vienna—funded by Iran—and participated in talks with Iranian diplomats, including former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
Parsi confirmed to TV4 Nyheterna that he participated in the network but denies that it was initiated by Iran’s Foreign Ministry—allegedly contradicting what the email correspondence between Parsi and the Iranian Experts Initiative shows.
In response to the controversy, in January, UI’s director Jakob Hallgren declared, “The fact that Parsi, along with other analysts and researchers, met with Iranian representatives during a period when the West was exploring the possibility of negotiating a nuclear energy agreement with Iran is neither unusual nor suspicious.”
Hallgren added, “At the time, Parsi was not employed by UI but was in this context conducting analyses on behalf of the British Foreign Office. His role was to assess the feasibility of reaching a diplomatic agreement between Iran and the West on the nuclear energy program.”
“Rouzbeh Parsi has every right to conduct independent analyses in his capacity as a researcher and analyst. UI’s assessment is that he does exactly that and operates free from external influence,” he added. The following month, UI announced it had initiated an investigation into the controversy.
Swedish Member of Parliament Nima Gholam Ali Pour is concerned about the potential misuse of state funds to promote Tehran’s interests. In an interview with Focus on Western Islamism (FWI), he said, “Such a person cannot and should not work for an organization funded by the Swedish state.”
“This should have been looked into a long time ago...Rouzbeh Parsi has long been persona non grata among the Iranian opposition. The results of the investigation will determine both how much credibility UI has, and thus whether the Swedish government should continue to fund such an organization.”
Despite these connections, Parsi remains at UI, a think tank that has received approximately 470 million SEK ($43.7 million) annually from the Swedish government.
Rouzbeh Parsi’s Role at UI
Under Parsi’s leadership, UI publishes briefs like, “Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t? Strategic Implications of Designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Terrorist Organisation.” It states that designating the organization as a terrorist group “could trigger more brazen and daring action by Iran and its allies.”
Parsi’s influence extends beyond UI. He has presented policy recommendations to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs that supports diplomatic engagement with Iran, particularly through the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Additionally, he has contributed to the European Union Institute for Security Studies, a think tank which informs EU foreign and security policy, often softening Iran’s image. He argues, “An Iranian nuclear bomb will not pose an existential threat to the United States” and that “the Iranian regime is not half as mad as it is often portrayed.”
Rouzbeh’s Brother Also Implicated
Rouzbeh Parsi’s connections to Iranian influence operations are part of a larger network that extends through multiple Western institutions. Trita Parsi, Rouzbeh’s U.S.-based brother, is also connected to Tehran. A prominent figure in academia and policymaking, he is currently the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Washington, D.C., think tank.
Quilliam, a counter-extremism think tank assessed Quincy as “more concerned with defending the interests of U.S. rivals—Iran, in particular—and to that end, it promotes a mishmash of isolationism and appeasement intertwined with an aggressive hostility to Israel. Indeed, the only monster that the Quincy Institute seeks to destroy is the Jewish state.”
Before establishing the Quincy Institute, Trita Parsi founded and served as president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), another U.S.-based nonprofit that advocated against sanctions on Iran. A 2008 defamation lawsuit revealed that NIAC arranged congressional meetings for Iran’s foreign minister ahead of nuclear negotiations with the Obama administration and coordinated messaging with Iranian intelligence.
Trita Parsi’s role in pro-Iran lobbying extends back to his founding of Iranians for International Cooperation (IIC) in Sweden in 1997. Internal documents show that IIC’s stated goal was to “pressure U.S. lawmakers to pose a more Iran-friendly position.” Trita Parsi became development director of the American Iranian Council, a pro-Iran organization funded by U.S. oil companies eager for business with Tehran. AIC’s president, Hooshang Amirahmadi, openly described the group as “Iran’s lobby in the U.S.”
The Parsi brothers have co-authored multiple pro-Iran articles. Their 2021 op-ed, “Why Iran’s Next Hardline President Should Thank Donald Trump,” argues that U.S. sanctions, especially Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign, weakened centrists and reformers, empowering Iranian hardliners.
More Scrutiny Needed
Pour wants further scrutiny of Rouzbeh Parsi’s connections to NIAC, which is regarded as an Iranian asset by numerous commentators, stating, “There is evidence that Rouzbeh has ties to [NIAC]. He has actively sought to obscure these connections, which have not been highlighted in Swedish media. This alone is enough for him to be seen as a biased actor who sympathizes with the regime in Tehran.”
Other Foreign Influence Threats
Pour also explained that religious organizations in Sweden are also used as channels for foreign interference. “It is known that several mosques in Sweden either spy or in other ways run errands for foreign powers, for countries like Turkey and Iran,” he said, adding, “Unfortunately, there is not much the Swedish authorities can do yet – legislation is needed here.”
Over the past year, Iran has engaged in several influence operations targeting Sweden. In September 2024, the Swedish Security Service reported that Iranian-backed hackers gained access to a Swedish company’s bulk text messaging service. They sent thousands of messages urging acts of revenge over Quran burnings, aiming to depict Sweden as anti-Islamic and sow divisions within Swedish society.
On January 29, Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, who was involved in a widely publicized Quran burning, was shot dead in a street just outside Stockholm. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has admitted that “there is obviously a risk that there is also a link to foreign power.”
Rouzbeh and Trita Parsi appear to be part of the Iranian regime’s strategy to influence Western policymaking. While Trita lobbies in the U.S., Rouzbeh has embedded himself in European institutions, using his role at UI to shape Sweden’s and the EU’s policies on Iran. MP Nima Pour concluded, “Everyone agrees in Sweden that tax money should not fund the Iranian regime’s lobbyists.”
