In a rare and brazen confession, a former senior Iranian official has openly admitted that the Islamic Republic carried out assassinations of exiled regime opponents on European soil throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Mohsen Rafiqdoost, former Minister of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a founding figure in the Islamic Revolution, revealed in a March 8, 2025 interview with Iranian news outlet Didar-e Ban-e Iran that Tehran dispatched hit squads to eliminate dissidents in cities like Paris and Berlin. The operations, he claimed, were conducted through coordination with the Basque terrorist group ETA.
“We had teams that took care of them,” Rafiqdoost said nonchalantly, naming targets such as Gen. Gholam Ali Oveissi (killed in Paris, 1984), artist Fereydoun Farrokhzad (murdered in Germany), and Shapour Bakhtiar, the Shah’s last prime minister (assassinated in Paris, 1991). “The Basque kids carried out the missions. No one wanted to ask questions.”
Rafiqdoost also described threatening French officials directly. When Iranian-Lebanese agent Anis Naccache was imprisoned for a failed attempt to kill Bakhtiar, he said he personally warned the French foreign minister:
“Release him in two weeks—or don’t be surprised if your embassy explodes or your plane is hijacked.”
FRANCE CAVED.
"YES, WE PAID ETA"
When asked if Tehran paid ETA for these killings, Rafiqdoost replied simply:
“Yes. We paid them to kill.”
He detailed how payments were laundered through a sympathetic Egyptian cleric in Germany. The cleric would only release the money after a successful hit.
This state-sponsored killing campaign was funded through off-the-books accounts in Frankfurt, where bribes from arms deals were deposited—used exclusively for extraterritorial operations.
COVER-UP ATTEMPT FAILS
The Iranian regime quickly scrubbed the interview from the internet. The IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency claimed Rafiqdoost was mentally unfit and had "invented memories." But Rafiqdoost had served eight years as Minister of the IRGC and was known for his closeness to Khomeini and Khamenei.
Then came a bombshell: an exiled journalist released a secret recording from seven years ago—back when Rafiqdoost was still living in Iran. In the recording, Rafiqdoost repeats the same names, same methods, and even describes the same bank in Frankfurt. He whispers at one point, pleading with the interviewer:
“Don’t leak this.”
That moment, more than anything, validates the credibility of his admissions.
“JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG”
BBC Persian’s senior journalist Hossein Bastani responded:
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. In less than two weeks in September 1986, five bombs exploded in Paris. Iran ran a terror campaign in the heart of Europe.”
He cited other attacks, including the murder of a French military attaché and threats against French ships in the Gulf, all designed to pressure France to release imprisoned agents.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS AND A CHILLING WARNING
Iranian international law expert Sina Yousefi posted on X:
“Rafiqdoost’s statements merit examination by the International Court of Justice. They indicate official state policy for extrajudicial killings abroad.”
So why is this being revealed now?
Analysts believe Rafiqdoost aimed to sabotage ongoing U.S.-Iran rapprochement efforts, sending a message to Tehran’s current leadership:
“We once controlled Iran, the Middle East—and Europe. And you can’t even take out two Israeli businessmen?”
OUR VERDICT: NO DIPLOMACY—ONLY ACTION
Let’s be clear: These aren't merely shocking quotes. They’re probable cause for international criminal investigation. But the same UN that appointed Iran to the Human Rights Council's Social Forum weeks after the October 7 Hamas massacre will never act.
So yes—we agree with Rafiqdoost on one thing. Not the assassinations. Not the ideology. But the message: No more diplomacy with Tehran. The Iranian regime doesn’t want deterrence—it wants capability. If allowed, it will use nuclear weapons.
The IRGC must be outlawed across the EU and UK. Intelligence and covert action should target Iranian terror infrastructure globally.
Germany made a promising move in July 2024 when it shut down the Hamburg Islamic Center—run by Tehran since 1979—on charges of terrorism. Several other Iranian-linked centers across Germany were also closed. But these are drops in the ocean.
This is no longer about preventing terror—it’s about confronting a regime that exports it by design.
Photo: Mohsen Rafiadoust, former minister in the Revolutionary Guards and one of the key figures in the Islamic Revolution