Iran’s Use of Criminal Networks Abroad, Part 1 Featuring Matthew Levitt

How has the Iranian regime used criminal proxies to conduct foreign operations abroad? In this episode of Crime Beat Conversations, Dr. Matthew Levitt and I unpack why Iran relies on criminal networks to carry out specific attacks on foreign soil, how these relationships benefit the regime, and if we can expect an escalation in these sorts of attacks following the 12 day war and the weakening of Iran’s traditional proxies.

In this multi-part series with Dr. Levitt, we explore how these relationships with criminal networks differ from regime relationships with other proxies like Hezbollah, and what law enforcement and intelligence agencies can do to combat these attacks. We draw on Dr. Levitt’s Iranian External Operations Map, an interactive tool that tracks over 40 years of Iranian clandestine operations around the world. Stay tuned for more from Dr. Levitt on Iran’s reliance on organized criminal groups.