La Pieuvre de Téhéran –Emmannuel Razavi reporting from the Strait of Hormuz for Paris Match in 2023. © Bernard Sidler
„The Octopus of Tehran“ (La Pieuvre de Téhéran) is an in-depth study of the many activities of agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran in France, as well as of the dangers posed by a deeply ideological regime and its propaganda to Western societies.
Emmanuel Razavi and Jean-Marie Montali are the authors of this investigation into Iran’s espionage and influence networks in France and around the world. Emmanuel Razavi took the time to answer a few pertinent questions. Emmanuel Razavi is a French investigative reporter, journalist and author specialising in international affairs, particularly the Middle East.
He is known for his investigations and documentaries on subjects such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar, and the conflicts in the Middle East. A graduate in political science, he has worked with major publications such as Paris Match and made documentaries broadcast on channels such as Arte and M6.
„The Octopus of Tehran.“ Interview on the regime in Iran.
Helmut N. Gabel, mehriran.de: You co-authored a book with Jean-Marie Montali on the export of the Iranian Islamist regime’s revolution to France (La Pieuvre de Téhéran) and have given numerous interviews on the subject. What has changed since its publication in the public debate about the threat posed by the regime’s agents to Iranian dissidents and to social peace in French society?
Emmanuel Razavi: Firstly, it is important to know that the French counter-espionage services have been very well informed for a long time about the espionage and influence operations of the Iranian secret services in France. As a result, they are taking effective action against them. Since Bruno Retailleau has taken office at the Ministry of the Interior, there has also been an acceleration in investigations into Iranian agents of influence in France.
But let us be clear: Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is the first to take such measures in France for a long time. Politically speaking, we are therefore lagging behind, because in France, the Islamic Republic has been infiltrating universities, particularly far-left political parties, and diplomatic circles for 45 years. However, public opinion is beginning to wake up to this, thanks to books such as the one I wrote with Jean-Marie Montali. TV channels such as Cnews and LCI, radio stations such as Europe 1 and newspapers such as Le Figaro have given a lot of coverage to our investigative work, which is very important.
The nuclear issue
HNG: What consequences could this have for France and Europe if European policy continues to let the Iranian regime do what it wants and, despite better knowledge, responds to a nuclear threat from the regime with endless negotiations, but allows the regime’s agents and propaganda to continue doing what they want?
Emmanuel Razavi: You are talking about a doubly important issue. The Iranian secret services‘ influence-building activities are closely linked to the nuclear issue. The leaders of the Islamic Republic want to convey the message that a nuclear-armed Iran is not dangerous. In reality, they want the bomb in order to become the major player in the Middle East and exert greater political influence over their Arab neighbours. The fact is that if the Islamic Republic were to acquire the atomic bomb tomorrow, Israel’s existence would be threatened.
You only have to read the speeches made by Khomeini in Qom since 1963, and those of several Iranian dignitaries, particularly the leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to understand that their strategy is dangerous. In parallel with their strategy of influence on the nuclear issue, since the early 1980s, the Iranian secret services have infiltrated our universities, the European political fabric and our diplomatic services.
The objective of this infiltration strategy is to ‘shape European public opinion’ so that it swings in favour of peaceful relations with the Islamic regime and its Palestinian proxies such as Hamas and the PFLP, or even Hezbollah in Lebanon.
If we continue to allow this to happen, the consequence will be civil war in several European countries, because the Iranian secret services have succeeded in persuading part of our public opinion that Hamas and the PFLP are resistance movements, not terrorist organisations.
They have also created opportunistic links with the Muslim Brotherhood in France and made acceptable a deadly cause, that of Islamist communitarianism, even though it threatens the stability of European countries, starting with France. All this contributes to deepening divisions.
From my perspective as a journalist investigating this issue, all negotiations with the Iranian regime on the nuclear issue must be halted, as it is unreliable, and several Iranian embassies in Europe, which are annexes of the Iranian secret services, must be closed. Finally, we must unambiguously support the secular and democratic opposition in Iran, which represents a promise for the future of Iran and for stability in the Middle East, by helping them to form a coalition.
A regime hostile to our interest
HNG: In your opinion, which states, politicians or institutions in France and Europe should take action to implement your demands and bring an end to the regime in Iran?
Emmanuel Razavi: Personally, I have no demands. I am a senior reporter, I work for major media outlets such as Paris Match and Franc-Tireur, and I am not an activist. Although I am Franco-Iranian, I remain rational and stick to what I see or observe on the ground. That said, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, must bring about a change of course in his relations with the Islamic Republic. He must support the secular and democratic opposition with a clear line.
If he fails to do so, France will miss out on history. With an average age of 32 in Iran and 81% of Iranians opposed to the very notion of an Islamic Republic, according to a study produced in July 2025 by the Gamaan Institute and published by the highly reputable Fondapol in France, it goes without saying that the regime is doomed anyway.
Add to that the fact that there is no drinking water in two-thirds of Iran, that there are power cuts of up to 12 hours a day, that there is no firewood as autumn and winter approach, it is a major mistake to continue negotiating with the mullahs who are at the head of a regime on the brink of collapse.
I say this also to the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot. He cannot continue to follow a line that is detrimental to human rights in Iran by talking to a mafia-like and terrorist Iranian regime which, as Jean-Marie Montali and I explain in our book, is also a narco-state. Domestically, France must close the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Paris and expel all diplomats working there.
It is a nest of spies and agents of influence. These people also serve a regime that is hostile to our interests and have no place in a country like France, which defends human rights.
HNG: Thank you for your assessment of the risks that the Iranian regime poses to French and other European societies.
© Helmut N. Gabel, mehriran.de, 26.08.2025, „The Octopus of Tehran.“ Interview on the regime in Iran.
