The British government has not funded Iran's influence network in Western countries, the UK Foreign Office told Iran International, rejecting remarks by a Swedish-Iranian scholar who said his involvement in the scheme was backed by the UK government.
IRAN INTERNATIONAL -- "We have no record of funding for the IEI or any departmental work with them," the UK Foreign Office told Iran International in response to an inquiry about funding for the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), a network linked to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In late January, a report by Sweden’s TV4 revealed Roozbeh Parsi, the director of the Swedish Institute for International Affairs’ Middle East program, was involved in the IEI, a network formed by Tehran to expand its influence in the West.
Parsi denied any cooperation with the Iranian government, saying his participation in the Iran-led initiative was backed up by the UK government.