Iran is recruiting Swedish teens as young as 14 on social media to carry out attacks from vandalism to bombings and contract murder against Israelis, an investigation by CNN has found.
Messages such as "we need loads of shooters, jobs in all of Sweden", "shooter needed for Denmark shoot to the head" and offers of "$150,000" are among the trove of discussions uncovered by CNN.
The investigation, alongside the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO), revealed plots including murder and a terror attack on the Israeli embassy in Stockholm.
It also reported that a shooting at the Israeli embassy last year was carried out by a boy of just 14, armed with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, shooting several shots towards the embassy before being detained.
Taking advantage of legal loopholes, targeting such young teens under 18 years old means the youth are unlikely to serve time.
The 14-year-old in question was not prosecuted because he was under-age. Another 15-year-old involved in the operation was convicted of a serious weapons offense and ordered to spend 11 months in a juvenile care home.
Speaking to CNN, the SÄPO said the attempted attacks were among several last year targeting the Israeli embassy in Stockholm by gangs acting on behalf of Iran.
Social media has been manipulated in the process of recruitment as children are easily accessible across a range of platforms.
Last year, two rival Swedish gangs, Foxtrot and Rumba, plotted several attacks targeting the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on behalf of Iran.
Fredrik Hallström, head of operations at SÄPO, told CNN, “It becomes a problem for us when it's another state like Iran that uses these kids as a proxy ... Organized crime in Sweden right now is a huge vulnerability that is being used by state actors."
He said it has stepped up in the wake of the Gaza war, sparked by the Iran-backed Hamas invasion of Israel, which later saw Iran's allies in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq launch attacks on the Jewish state in allegiance with the group designated a terrorist organization by countries such as the UK and US.
“After the 7th of October, we saw this type of modus operandi,” Hallström added.
On Sunday, Israel's Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, revealed documents showing that back in 2021, Hamas had requested Iranian funding for the attack which would transpire on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis and seeing over 250 more taken hostage.
A transcript of conversations found in the tunnels of senior Hamas figures in Gaza, he said proves a direct connection between Iran and assassinated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his assassinated military leader Muhammad Deif, as part of Iran's support for Hamas' plan to destroy Israel.
"In the document, they demand that the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards transfer $500 million for the destruction of the State of Israel," he said.
"The head of the Palestinian branch of the Revolutionary Guards, Izadi, accepted the request and replied that Iran – despite its difficult economic situation – and the plight of the Iranian population, will continue to Money for Hamas, because the struggle against Israel and the US is the top priority of the Iranian regime."
In the year before the Gaza war, Israel's chief of Mossad, David Barnea, said 27 Iran-backed plots had been foiled in Europe, Africa, the Far East and South America.
But this has ramped up since the Gaza war, dozens foiled globally, in addition to plots foiled inside the Jewish state, including an attempted attack on the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan and most recently, the attempted murder of a rabbi in Azerbaijan
Ahead of the Jewish holiday of passover next week, Israel's National Security Council has warned the Israeli public to remain vigilant when traveling abroad amid concerns that Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and global Jihadist groups will continue to actively advance attacks against Jews and Israelis worldwide.
It named Iran as "the main instigator of global terrorism against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, both directly and through its proxies."
"We're not denying the fact that having to act militarily is always an option," Pahlavi told a Washington DC event hosted by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI).
"But I think it will be historically criminal not to give the Iranian people a chance to make that happen before you have to resort to those less likable scenarios," he added.
US President Donald Trump has extended an offer to Iran for direct negotiations aimed at addressing concerns over its nuclear program. But the overture was accompanied by a stern warning: failure to engage would result in bombing "the likes of which they (Iran) have never seen before."
Pahlavi added that moving straight from diplomacy to military action would be ill advised. "Once again, you're throwing the people of Iran under the bus, which will only add salt to injury."
In response to Trump's bombing threat, Iran elevated its military readiness and cautioned neighboring countries against supporting any US military actions, warning of repercussions for neighbors who might facilitate an attack.
Addressing the same event, South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson said "preventing Iran's regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon, which is existential for the United States and for American families and has been cited about the missile programs, is the foremost urgency."
He referred to the recent downfall of Iran's staunch ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, adding that he is "very hopeful that the success of the people of Syria should be the equivalent for the Middle East of the fall of the Berlin Wall, for the Europe and Central Asia for ultimately liberation of countries around the world."
Last week, Wilson introduced a new bipartisan bill pushing for measures to empower Iranians to help overthrow the government in favor of a democratic alternative including facilitating greater internet access and funding for dissidents.
The Maximum Support Act, introduced by Wilson and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), would require the administration to develop an aggressive interagency strategy aimed at backing Iranian dissidents who would be pivotal in the process.
The legislation outlines a set of initiatives including facilitating secure communications for activists, appointing a special representative for coordinating support efforts and forming multi-agency teams to counter online censorship and government surveillance.
It also calls for offering safe channels for defection by Iranian officials and utilizing information shared by defectors.
“The Iranian regime will fall sooner rather than later,” Wilson said after introducing the bill.
The Revolutionary Court also sentenced Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam to one year of imprisonment on charges of “producing obscene content” and ordered the confiscation of all related equipment.
Both sentences will be suspended for five years, according to Iranian media outlets.
My Favorite Cake tells the story of an elderly woman living alone in Tehran, navigating the loneliness of old age while seeking new experiences. The film explores themes of personal freedom, love, and human connection.
Authorities have taken issue with the film’s portrayal of life outside state-imposed social restrictions, particularly its depiction of women without mandatory hijabs and scenes that hint at relationships outside conservative norms of unmarried couples.
The film also features scenes where the characters consume alcohol—an act that, while common in private homes, is illegal under Iran’s strict laws.
In Iran, the production, sale and consumption of alcohol have been prohibited since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Despite the ban, alcohol consumption persists underground, with many Iranians producing homemade wine and spirits.
The film was awarded the FIPRESCI Jury Prize at Berlinale and the Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival.
The film crew's trial comes amid an intensified crackdown on independent filmmakers and artists in Iran, particularly those who challenge state-imposed restrictions.