Britain’s prime minister, Andy Burnham, has said the recent suspected terror plot targeting RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire was “almost certainly” directed by Iran. The allegation has centred attention on how Iran projects power beyond its borders.

The case comes at a time of rising concern about Iranian-linked activities in the UK. In early October, two Iranians were charged in connection with an alleged plot targeting Jewish institutions in Manchester. According to authorities, the suspects were in contact with an individual believed to be in Iran.

While these cases remain under investigation, they fit into a much longer history. The Islamic Republic has been involved in a wide range of malign activities abroad since its establishment in 1979. These activities have principally targeted political opponents, dissidents and perceived enemies of the regime in Tehran.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Iranian opposition figures were assassinated or targeted in attacks worldwide. One of the most significant incidents was the 1992 assassination of four Iranian opposition figures at a Berlin restaurant.

A subsequent German court ruling concluded that senior Iranian political leaders, including the then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had ordered the killings. This triggered a major........

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