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According to correspondence sent to lawmakers in both the upper and lower chambers last month, British lawmakers have been warned to be on the lookout for cyber-attacks and potential harassment from Iranian operatives.
In letters sent on November 21, which were obtained by CNN, the speakers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords reminded members of parliament to increase the security of their mobile devices.
The spokesmen said that police and intelligence agencies had not detected “any hostile Iranian activity specifically focused on parliamentarians”. However, authorities say that targeting members of the UK-based Iranian diaspora who are “perceived as enemies of the regime … is a good opportunity to remind you all to remain vigilant,” the letters said.
“Iranian agencies possess strong offensive cyber capabilities,” the letters added.
The correspondence is part of a growing set of warnings about the possible actions of Iranian operatives in Britain as tensions rise between the two countries.
Earlier in the month, UK lawmakers received guidance on how to prevent digital snooping. That guidance recommended leaving phones out of the room during sensitive conversations, installing password managers and using two-factor authentication systems when accessing email or backing up phones.
“On November 1 we heard a statement from the Secretary of State for Security, which set out the growing threat to our national security from hostile states, and the government’s plan to lead a task force to carry out work to protect the democratic integrity of our country,” Lindsay Hoyle, House The Speaker of Commons wrote to the MLAs on November 14.
“As recent events have highlighted, hostile states continue to use parliamentarians to gain insight into or influence our democratic processes for their economic, military or political gain,” he said.
Two days later, Ken McCallum, head of the UK domestic intelligence service MI5, said that Iran had made at least 10 attempts to kidnap or kill British citizens or others on UK soil, and that it had used increasingly aggressive tactics to target anyone. had been An enemy of the Iranian regime.
In a speech at MI5’s headquarters, McCallum said Iran’s intelligence apparatus was a “sophisticated adversary” that sometimes used its own agents or intermediaries and was prepared on occasion to call it a “reckless operation”.
Two members of parliament told CNN that they have started receiving spam emails about Iran, apparently from ad hoc groups that appear to be opposed to the regime in Tehran. The MPs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they started receiving the emails in the last month.
Mass protests in Iran have put the country’s religious regime on notice. The demonstrations were sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of Tehran’s morality police, allegedly for wearing her hijab inappropriately.
Amid a brutal crackdown on dissidents in Iran, Britain has imposed financial and travel sanctions on two dozen Iranian officials. Iran has banned several UK lawmakers, including the country’s security minister.
Iranian security forces have also reportedly threatened journalists working in Britain. In November, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly summoned Tehran’s most senior diplomat over the claims and was quoted by Reuters at the time as making clear that “we do not tolerate lives and threats.”
According to the pro-reform outlet Antekhab, a top Iranian official said this week that the country’s hijab law is being reviewed, after months of women across the country removing their hijabs in defiance.
Under pressure at home, Iran, Russia and China are increasingly trying to export the influence of their autocratic powers elsewhere.
Late last week, CNN reported that China has set up more than a hundred police stations to monitor, harass and sometimes deport its citizens abroad, according to a report by the human rights group Safeguard Defenders.
China’s foreign ministry has denied operating undeclared police stations overseas, saying such offices are staffed by volunteers to help foreigners with paperwork.
Earlier this year, the UK’s Lord Speaker, John McFaul, wrote to lawmakers warning them about the activities of Christine Lee, a UK-based lawyer with ties to Hong Kong, who he said had engaged in political interference activities for years. Chinese Communist Party. CNN’s repeated requests for comment to Lee’s law firm went unanswered.
In his warning on that topic, McFaul also warned colleagues about the activities of Polish national Janusz Niedzwiecki and Ukrainian Oleg Voloshin, who he said were lobbying on behalf of Russia leading up to its invasion of Ukraine.
Niedzwiecki was arrested in Poland in 2021 and charged with espionage. Voloshin, who is believed to be in Belarus, did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
At the time, McFaul said he was taking the opportunity to “remind colleagues of the range of activities carried out against Parliament and Members that pose a security risk; whether through cyber-attacks, or the collection of information, influence or disinformation. for more traditional methods of espionage.”
A spokesman for the UK Parliament would not comment on the specifics, but said it takes the cyber and physical security of lawmakers “extremely seriously”.
They said in a statement to CNN: “We have robust measures in place and work closely with all government partners, including the National Cyber Security Centre. We advise users – including members of both houses – to be aware of the risks and how to manage their digital security, although we do not comment on our cyber or physical security policies or the specific details of incidents.”
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