The Iranian embassy in London is recruiting expats to become martyrs and ‘sacrifice their lives for the Homeland’, according to a report by Metro. Iranian diplomats have called on their country’s diaspora in the UK to ‘lay down our lives’ for a new campaign to ‘defend Iranian land’.
Telegram Campaign Targets Iranian Diaspora
The message, posted on the embassy’s Telegram channel, directs Iranians to register their interest with the authorities and specifically references recruiting ‘children’. The call for martyrs has been labelled ‘appalling’ by Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel, who called for the Home Office and police to intervene to keep British people safe.
The post – uncovered by Metro – was uploaded to the Iranian embassy’s Telegram account on April 15. It calls for Iranians based in the UK to register for a new ‘Sacrificing Life for the Homeland Campaign’. The message reads: ‘All brave and distinguished children of Iran are invited to participate consciously and register in this campaign, adding another golden page to the book of honours of this ancient land and demonstrating that their hearts are bound to the dignity and greatness of their homeland.’
Poetic Call to Arms
The Telegram post ends with a chilling poetic verse: ‘Let us all, one and all, give our lives in battle. Rather than surrender our country to the enemy.’ The lines are taken from a famous sequence of patriotic poetry in Iran called the Shahnameh, or ‘Book of Kings,’ composed by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. Metro has confirmed this translation with Saleed Talajooy, senior lecturer in Persian Studies at St Andrews University. Narguess Farzad, senior lecturer in Persian Studies at SOAS University, translated the verse: ‘Better that we all of us lay down our lives, than surrender our country to the foe.’
Registration via Official Portal
The Iranian embassy is asking expats in the UK to register their involvement through the country’s Mikhak system, which is an official online portal run by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Telegram post has close to 400 heart reactions, as well as 27 thumbs up reactions and 26 prayer emojis. The channel behind the Telegram account is linked on the Embassy’s website and dates as far back as August 2021.
Outrage from Campaigners and Politicians
Haleh Blake, co-founder of the campaign group United4Mahsa, told Metro: ‘The public announcement calling for martyrdom by the Embassy located in the UK displays the regime is running out of existing human resources and now using its public platforms to recruit killers and bad actors against its enemies which includes the Iranian diaspora. This should be yet another clear alarm to the Keir Starmer and the Labour government to not hold any negotiations with the Islamic Republic’s regime and proceed with the proscription of the IRGC, the entity that is currently running the country.’
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said it was ‘appalling that the Iranian embassy is trying to use Britain as a recruiting ground’. She added: ‘Keir Starmer should show some backbone and summon the Iranian ambassador to explain himself. And the Home Secretary and the police must immediately investigate and intervene to ensure the British people are kept safe.’
Security Concerns Heighten
The Met Police warned earlier this month that attacks on the Jewish community in north London could have been carried out by Iranian proxies. Officers said ‘thugs for hire’ who ‘commit criminal acts and intimidation on behalf of others’ were being recruited online. Ashab al-Yamin, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, which may be linked to Iran, has claimed responsibility for a string of firebombing attacks on Jewish sites in recent weeks.
Metro has approached the Iranian Embassy in London and the Home Office for comment.
