A Swedish lawmaker called for the dismissal of Rouzbeh Parsi from the Swedish Institute for International Affairs, following a media investigation linking him to a Tehran-directed influence network.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour, an Iranian-born member of Sweden’s Parliament, said on Saturday that Parsi, who heads the Middle East and North Africa program at the institute, should not be employed by an organization funded by taxpayers.
“I will continue to work on this issue in the Riksdag until Rouzbeh Parsi is fired. It is completely unacceptable that a person who has promoted the interests of the Iranian regime should work for a tax-financed organization in Sweden,” he wrote on X.
His remarks follow a report by Sweden’s TV4, which linked Parsi to a network established by Iran’s foreign ministry to influence Western policy. The network referenced emails shared by Iran International, which had earlier revealed Tehran’s attempts to influence foreign analysts in a 2023 collaborative investigation with Semafor.
Gholam Ali Pour highlighted Iran’s history of espionage and illicit operations in Sweden, writing, “The Iranian regime has been conducting espionage in Sweden for decades. The regime has also planned assassinations in Sweden and uses criminal networks in Sweden to carry out acts of violence against other states and individuals.”
His comments come months after Sweden’s Security Service and Israel’s Mossad warned that Tehran was leveraging criminal groups in Europe to target Israeli embassies and individuals.
According to Reuters, Sweden’s security agency announced in May that Iranian operations had extended to foreign diplomatic representatives as well as opposition figures within the Iranian diaspora.
In a reference to European efforts to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, Gholam Ali Pour questioned Parsi’s role. “Should we expect the Institute of Foreign Policy to also employ “researchers” who support North Korea, Russia and China?” he asked.
Parsi has denied any cooperation with Tehran, saying that while Iran sought to shape Western perspectives, his participation was in the interest of foreign governments, including the UK’s Foreign Office.
"We have worked to continuously strengthen our defense capabilities with the efforts of dedicated, innovative young scientists. This development will continue, and dear Iran will join the ranks of countries conducting extraterrestrial flights, showcasing our nation's scientific strength," Pezeshkian told officials and media.
Defense Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh framed Iran’s ballistic missile program as an extension of its space launch efforts.
“Iran began its space activities by developing satellites. When challenges arose in satellite launches, the country shifted to building satellite carriers, a field in which it has now reached maturity. He added that there are promising plans, including the possibility of providing services to friendly nations,” the minister said.
Iran has launched a few satellites into low orbit, but its ballistic missile technology is viewed as a serious threat to regional countries and even most of Europe if its range extends beyond 2,000 kilometers. Last year, Iran launched two missile attacks on Israel, firing hundreds of medium-range ballistic missiles. While Israeli, American, and allied air defenses limited the damage, the attacks underscored Tehran’s ability to threaten regional countries with an estimated arsenal of 3,000 missiles.
President Pezeshkian also highlighted Iran’s space program as a driving force behind its missile development. "Our enemies constantly try to prevent us from standing on our own feet, but this has driven us to achieve scientific and technological advancements."
Iranian media have voiced concerns that President Donald Trump may push for limits on Iran’s ballistic missile program, as he did in 2018 when he withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal during his first term. Largely state-controlled and often reflecting official views, the media has repeatedly emphasized that Iran will not negotiate on any issue beyond its nuclear program.
His response followed a report by Sweden’s TV4 and an article by Expressen, one of Sweden's most prominent dailies, which accused him of involvement in a network linked to Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs.
On Tuesday, TV4 reported that Parsi, the brother of former NIAC president Trita Parsi, had been connected to an Iranian initiative aimed at shaping Western policies.
The investigation, which cited emails provided by Iran International, followed a 2023 joint exposé by Iran International and Semafor that detailed Tehran’s efforts to cultivate relationships with academics and analysts abroad to expand its influence.
Sophie Löwenmark, a columnist for Expressen, wrote on Friday that “Parsi has participated in an advocacy network for a brutal dictatorship that today is a threat to Sweden, Swedish-Iranians, and Jews.”
She argued that his engagement had been secretive, without disclosure to his employers, and concluded that “this is not how someone you have full confidence in acts, but rather someone who appears to be the mouthpiece of the mullahs in Sweden.”
Parsi rejected her remarks in a response published by Expressen, saying that he had no financial ties to the Islamic Republic. He emphasized that his role as an academic allowed him to engage with different parties without political consequences.
“Unlike states, I do not represent any party and can therefore speak to everyone,” he wrote.
He also said that he participated in the Iran-led initiative on behalf of the British Foreign Office, not the Swedish Institute for International Affairs, arguing that TV4 and Löwenmark had omitted that detail.
“Certainly, Iran's aim with the initiative was to influence the West, but the participants' motives were something else entirely,” Parsi noted, adding that Western governments used such interactions to strengthen their positions in nuclear negotiations with Iran.
He dismissed criticisms from some Swedish-Iranians over his alleged ties to the Islamic Republic, saying, “My ‘crime’ is that I refuse to follow their lead and don't paint everything related to the Middle East and Iran in bright colors consistent with their ideologies.”
Löwenmark responded in Expressen, challenging Parsi’s arguments. She argued that he acknowledged Iran’s intent to influence Western perspectives but failed to address leaked data showing that participants actively collaborated with Tehran’s interests through ghostwriting and other methods. She also noted his lack of transparency about how he joined the network or why he kept his participation hidden from colleagues.
“More importantly, he doesn’t seem to mind being part of a confidential circle convened by one of the world’s most brutal and repressive states,” she wrote. “It is inexplicable that he does not seem to realize the significance of the fact that the agenda of this secret network was not human rights, taxes, or welfare—but nuclear programs.”
Swedish MP says Parsi promoting Iran's interests
Swedish lawmaker Nima Gholam Ali Pour on Saturday accused Parsi of "promoting the interests of the Iranian regime", vowing to follow up his dismissal from taxpayer-funded the Swedish Institute for International Affairs at the Parliament as his employment is "completely unacceptable."
"If individuals like Rouzbeh Parsi—who sympathize with Sweden’s enemies—are to work at the Institute, why should the Swedish people fund such an organization? The Institute might as well reach out to the mullahs and ask for money," the Swedish MP of Iranian origin said in a post on his X account.