Turan Research Center

In October 2025, two French nationals detained in Iran were finally allowed to return home, reportedly in exchange for France’s release of an Iranian agent held on its soil. This high-profile swap highlighted the covert tug-of-war between Tehran and Paris. This struggle extends far beyond hostage diplomacy and involves secret networks of influence, espionage, and ideological infiltration. A new independent report presented to French authorities in late 2025 reveals how the Islamic Republic of Iran has been systematically working to infiltrate and destabilize France from within.

Compiled by the France 2050 think tank, led by Gilles Platret, the mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône, the 86-page study describes what one contributor calls an Iranian “mécanique du chaos”—a mechanics of chaos—orchestrated through espionage, influence peddling, and even criminal proxies. The report states that Tehran’s goals are strategic: to pressure France over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, to influence French policy toward Israel, and to “bring chaos, without waging war, into the heart of our democracies.” This article reviews the main findings of that report and other expert insights into Iran’s covert activities in France—from spy rings and academic indoctrination to unlikely alliances that combine radical Islamism with the far-left under the banner of Palestine.

Read the full article on the Jerusalem Institute of Strategy and Security.

Alex Grinberg is a Senior Fellow at the Turan Research Center.