Tom Tugendhat: “Islamic Republic Officials Are in Contact with Foreign Intelligence Services”

Tom Tugendhat, former British Security Secretary, has revealed that officials of the Islamic Republic are in contact with foreign intelligence services to ensure their security.

Amid the escalation of nationwide protests in Iran and unprecedented international reactions, Tom Tugendhat, former British Security Secretary and current member of parliament of the country, published a controversial message on the social media network X, addressing the situation of the Iranian regime and raising unprecedented claims.

Tugendhat wrote in this message in Persian: “Among senior officials of the Islamic Republic, how many are currently in contact with foreign intelligence services to ensure their security after a collapse, exchanging classified information?”

He continued in his message: “When they know that many government associates are secretly preparing to escape, suspicion and distrust rise to the top of the system. But this suspicion will not save them, because many of these same leaders are themselves secretly pursuing the same escape route.”

These remarks have been made on the eve of one of the most extensive waves of protests in Iran in recent years; protests that stem from deep economic recession, the collapse of national currency value, and accumulated political and social discontent, which has continued for more than a week in large and small cities across the country.

The protests in Iran, which began as economic and occupational demonstrations, quickly took on a political form and spread with anti-government slogans. People are chanting against the government in at least more than 100 cities, and reports of harsh confrontations by security forces and the use of tear gas have been released.

On the international front, Donald Trump, President of the United States, by issuing a supportive message to the protesters, warned of the possibility of American intervention and said: “If forces of the Iranian government attack peaceful protesters, the United States will enter the field to save them.” This message was met with severe reaction from Islamic Republic officials, and Ali Shamkhani, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, in response to his message wrote: “Any interfering hand that approaches Iran’s security under the pretext of excuse-making will be cut off with a regrettable response before it arrives.”

Also, Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, emphasized in a tweet that American intervention could lead to regional instability and danger to American forces.

In response to Trump’s remarks and Tugendhat’s message, various figures have taken positions:

• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Republic, while rejecting foreign intervention, once again emphasized independence and confrontation with “enemies.”
• Prince Reza Pahlavi, an opponent of the Islamic Republic, positively assessed Trump’s support message and thanked him for it.
• A number of political activists opposed to the regime have also released similar messages in support of the protests.

Tugendhat’s message and the severe domestic and international reactions show that Iran’s political and security situation is at a sensitive point. The claims regarding senior officials’ contact with foreign intelligence services, while independently unverifiable, reflect deep distrust and a legitimacy crisis within power institutions. Simultaneously, international pressure and warnings about suppressing protesters have increased tensions at the regional level and made the crisis outlook more complicated.