Iran expands presence in Türkiye with diplomatic facilities

Abdallah Bozkurt/Stockholm

Iran has expanded its diplomatic and consular presence across Turkey by acquiring and building additional properties, a move made easier by the favorable stance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's pro-Iran government, which has granted greater latitude to the networks Iranian intelligence and support for terrorism.

After decades of Iranian attempts to establish a significant diplomatic mission presence in Turkey, which failed due to lingering security concerns and unresolved reciprocity issues, the clerical regime finally reached an agreement with the Iranian government. Erdogan on June 15, 2020. This memorandum of understanding (MoU) allows the Iranian government to purchase and construct new properties or renovate and expand existing buildings with staff enjoying full diplomatic or consular immunity, exempt from any taxes or fees.

The Iranian regime is known for using its embassy and consular complexes to support terrorism and intelligence activities around the world. It often deploys operatives, particularly operatives from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, to diplomatic posts to conceal their identities and exploit diplomatic privileges and immunity while conducting clandestine operations.

Between 2011 and 2014, a counterterrorism investigation in Turkey revealed the presence of several Iranian agents working under diplomatic cover at the Iranian embassy and consulates. For example, one of the main suspects in this case, Behnam Shahriyar (also known as Seyed Ali Ekber Mirvakili), was under US sanctions for financing terrorism. The investigation revealed that he had been in close contact with senior government officials, including Hakan Fidan, who was intelligence chief at the time and currently foreign minister.

The Erdogan government illegally intervened in this matter, derailing the entire investigation and allowing the denounced Iranian agents to escape. The names of the Iranian suspects were Shahriyar, Naser Ghafari, Fatemeh Rezaei, Hamed Habibi Hafzabad, Samak Mazloumravasan, Ali Hassan Salami, Rasoul Abdoullhi, Seyed Asghar Seyedtorabi, Habibullah Haydari, Ali Kasat Far, Hossein Moghtaderi, Ali Akbar Waly, Raj. Najafi, Mehdi Sasany Aghdam, Ali Mandi Nejat Mamaghani, Esmaiel Sabegni, Akbar Fallah Nejad, Walid Hasan Radwan, Naser Nurani and Hassan Hraji Ghotlou.

Many of these individuals operated from the embassy and consulate under the guise of advisors and attachés.

Iran had long pushed to expand its diplomatic presence in Turkey, but faced obstacles due to security concerns and Tehran's reluctance to reciprocate similar concessions for Turkish diplomatic missions in Iran. These concerns, however, appear to have been put aside in 2020, when a memorandum of understanding was signed between then-Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlt Avuolu and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Interestingly, unlike many international agreements, the Erdogan government chose not to submit the MoU to Parliament for legislative review, debate and approval. Instead, the President signed the MoU and gazetted it to enforce the agreement.

Iran quickly acted on the terms of the memorandum of understanding by purchasing property in the eastern province of Erzurum, near the Turkish-Iranian border, and building a large complex directly across the street from a mosque in the district. from Palandken. Iran had previously attempted to build a consulate in Erzurum by purchasing a large property in the city without obtaining prior consent from the Turkish government, leading to the property being returned to its owner in 2015. Iran is the only country to have a consulate in Erzurum. .

The new consulate building was inaugurated in July 2023 with the participation of senior officials from the province, including Governor Okay Memi, Deputy Mayor Fevzi Polat, provincial chairman of the ruling party Brahim Kkolu, head of the provincial police Levent Tuncer and others. Their presence at the event suggests that the Erdogan government gave explicit instructions requiring their presence.

With the support of the host government, the consulate has established close ties with city officials, business figures and academics. In May 2024, Provincial Governor Mustafa Ifti visited Consul General Mohammad Ebrahimi, accompanied by Provincial Mufti Rstem Can and Provincial Director of National Education Yakup Yldz.

According to the MoU, Iran was also granted the right to purchase properties for various diplomatic purposes in Turkey. This includes a consul general residence in Erzurum, an ambassador residence in Ankara, a consul general residence in Istanbul and another consul general residence in Trabzon, in addition to the already acquired properties in Erzurum.

If Iran wishes, it also has the option to renovate, demolish or construct buildings on properties it already owns. The Turkish government is committed to making it easier to obtain all necessary permits for such construction projects. These expanded facilities will provide the Iranian regime with ample opportunities to strengthen its clandestine activities.

The Erzurum consulate also conducts temporary operations in the border province of Van, visited by many Iranians, and at the Kapky border crossing for cargo and people. Tehran is currently developing plans to establish a permanent consulate in Van. The Erdogan government has been receptive to Iranian requests in this regard.

In a letter to Parliament dated October 26, 2023, Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan indicated that the government was ready to allow additional consular buildings in other provinces, including the border province of Van, if Tehran allows it. asked. Fidan said that due to the large number of Iranian visitors to Van province, the Erdogan government decided to establish a Foreign Ministry liaison office in Van, which would soon be operational.

The Iranian consulate in Erzurum, which provides consular services to a dozen provinces along the Turkish-Iranian border, serves as a crucial logistical hub for Iranian covert intelligence operations.

In August 2011, Erzurum police arrested Shahram Zargham Khoei, a 43-year-old Iranian intelligence agent, and his associate Mohammad Reza Esmaeilpour Ali Malek, 30, after discovering they were secretly photographing military installations and sensitive intelligence. Both men were accused of obtaining information and documents related to state security, including spying on behalf of Iran.

Text of the Memorandum of Understanding between Turkey and Iran on the construction and purchase of additional properties within the scope of diplomatic facilities:

Iran_Turkey_MOU_diplomatic_compounds

They were later tried and convicted in July 2013, with Khoei sentenced to 15 years in prison and Esmaeilpour Ali Malek to more than 13 years. Their convictions were upheld on appeal in December 2014.

Iran has rejected the allegations, but Erzurum Consul General Reza Kilichan and advisor Husrev Ibrahimzade personally visited Khoei at a high-security prison in February 2013, after obtaining permission from the Turkish Ministry of Defense. Justice. Iran's lobbying efforts on behalf of Khoei were ultimately successful. In 2015, Khoei was taken from his cell by Turkish intelligence agents and handed over to Iran following secret negotiations between Tehran and Ankara.

The Iranian consulate in Trabzon, one of only two consulates maintained by foreign powers in Turkey's northern Black Sea province, is actively engaged in conducting intelligence operations and expanding Iranian influence along the Black Sea coast. Its activities include facilitating the transportation of sanctioned goods acquired through or in Turkey to Iranian entities, leveraging the strategic position of the port city of Trabzon as a commercial hub.

Like the Erzurum Consulate, the Trabzon Consulate also maintains close relations with local government officials, with the approval of the Erdogan government. In February 2024, Trabzon Governor Aziz Yldrm attended an event commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, hosted by Consul General Naser Mohebati.

Under the MoU, Turkish consulates located in the Iranian cities of Tabriz, Urumia and Mashhad, all of which currently operate from rented premises, would be allowed to purchase real estate. However, for now, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has no plans to purchase properties in Iran for its consulates.

The Erdogan government's pro-Iranian stance has led Turkey to distance itself from the Western bloc on several issues over the past decade. During Erdogan's visit to Tehran in 2014, he said: “Iran feels like a second home,” summarizing the president's affinity for Iran's Islamist regime. This affinity is driven not only by an ideological commitment to Islamism, but also by involvement in illegal and lucrative business ventures. His secret dealings with Iran were exposed during corruption investigations in 2013, which revealed how Erdogan and his associates accepted substantial bribes from an Iranian agent named Reza Zarrab, who used Turkish state bank Halkbank to launder Iranian government funds, in an attempt to circumvent US sanctions. .

Key positions around Erdogan are mainly occupied by Islamist political individuals who were influenced in their youth by fantasies of the Iranian revolution. For example, Brahim Kaln, the head of the Turkish intelligence agency MIT, is known to be an ardent admirer and sympathizer of the Iranian mullahs' regime. Foreign Minister Fidan was active in pro-Iranian Shiite circles during his youth and established ties with numerous Iranian agents, some of whom were later convicted of terrorism. He was identified as a trusted person in seized intelligence documents obtained from an Iranian-Turkish agent in 2011.

Sefer Turan, Erdogan's top foreign policy adviser for Muslim and Arab states, had previously worked for an Iranian-funded magazine, which was later shut down over terrorism concerns. Turan is known for defending Iran and its activists in his writings, advocating positions including calls for the destruction of Israel.