By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-07-24 23:05:48 | Updated at 2026-07-25 01:49:14
2 hours ago
Iran has been exploiting Britain's small boats crisis to send agents and operatives into the country, it has been revealed.
British authorities are understood to have intercepted several Tehran-linked operatives attempting to enter the UK via small boats crossing the English Channel, according to The Telegraph.
People-smuggling gangs operating across Europe told the newspaper that the Iranian regime has helped some migrants in Calais reach Britain on the condition they carry out a "favour" once on British soil.
In response to the threat, the Home Office has deployed drones and AI-powered watchtowers in a bid to stop suspected Iranian operatives reaching Britain.
Iranian officials also claimed that parts of the smuggling network into mainland Europe and the UK are controlled by the regime.
According to the officials, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - recently proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Britain - controls several trafficking routes stretching from the Middle East to the English Channel.
Officials believe suspected Iranian operatives intercepted so far have links to Tehran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, the regime's main overseas intelligence agency.
The IRGC's Unit 700, the logistics arm of the elite Quds Force, is also suspected of directing agents sent to Britain after arriving via small boats.
British authorities are understood to have intercepted several Tehran-linked operatives attempting to enter the UK via small boats
GETTY
The Quds Force has long been accused of funding and arming proxy groups including Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iranian officials told the newspaper that the greater threat comes from the regime's use of radicalised Iranians already living in Britain and its exploitation of proxy networks with an established presence in the UK.
"Of course, don't forget that our armed forces have influence and run the [smuggling] routes in some cases if they want," one Islamic Republic official told The Telegraph.
"At the moment we have people right there in London, revolutionary people who care about the world and the lives of children – they wait for us to tell them what to do.
The IRGC's Unit 700 is suspected of directing agents sent to Britain after arriving via small boats
"We have not done that yet, but we can easily make London unsafe for you if we want to.
"These smuggling routes are more important and useful than the missiles for us – we do not need a missile to target London, it's easier than that."
The revelations come just days after more than 165 illegal migrants crossed the Channel aboard a single "mega dinghy", setting a new record for the number of people packed onto one small boat.
Shortly after the vessel landed in Britain, Labour peer Lord Glasman told GB News the crossing was "making a mockery of our sovereignty" as he urged ministers to take a "much more aggressive" approach towards France.
More than 12,500 illegal migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year.
More than 12,500 illegal migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year
Shadow Security Minister Alicia Kearns said: "The Government needs to face facts - the IRGC is exploiting the small boats crisis to put its operatives on British streets.
"We need an urgent taskforce to root out Iranian agents among those arriving and who've arrived on our shores, designation of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security under hostile state legislation, and emergency powers to shut down IRGC cut-outs like the Islamic Centre of England.
"Tehran is openly threatening Britain and we have a Prime Minister silent on our national security - our people deserve answers, action and leadership."
A Home Office spokesman said: "Our first priority is national security. There are stringent security checks for small boat arrivals.
"Those identified as a threat will be detained immediately and we will do everything in our power to remove them at the earliest opportunity.
"On top of these robust processes, we have fast-tracked a change in the law to outlaw support for the IRGC, equipping the police and intelligence services with more powers to disrupt those working on their behalf, and making it easier to prosecute them."
