Middle East expert: U.N. ignoring Iranian sleeper cells in U.S.

The United Nations is ignoring Iran's establishment of sleeper terrorist cells in the United States and other countries, a Middle East expert charges.

"By turning a blind eye to the Iranian regime's terror activities in foreign countries and by refusing to open investigations or even condemn the mullahs, the United Nations is complicit in Iran's malign behavior across the globe," said Majid Rafizadeh, a business strategist and adviser, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review and president of the International American Council on the Middle East.

In a posting at the Gatestone Institute, he cites a Fox News report that "sleeper cells" have been found in the United States and are a "credible threat."

Former CIA officer Bryan Dean Wright said in the report there "unquestionably" are sleeper cells run by Iran in the U.S. and across Latin America.

But the U.N. hasn't been addressing the clear threat, Rafizadeh said.

"Perhaps it is time for the U.S. to 'pay for what it wants' from the U.N., rather than automatically handing it billions, more than a fifth if its budget, every year -- and to make sure America gets what it pays for?"

He explained that the objective of the Iranian regime's terror cells is to "create fear in other nations through terrorism, subvert foreign governments and ultimately impose on the world an Islamist and Shariah system."

As recently as last month, Saudi Arabia broke up an Iranian-trained cell, arrested 10 suspects and seized weapons and explosives, he noted.

"These included 'electrical components used in the making of explosives such as capacitors, transformers and resistors, gunpowder, chemicals, Kalashnikov rifles, guns, sniper rifle, live ammunition, machine guns, blades, military clothes, and wireless communication devices.'"

Also, Bahrain's Ministry of the Interior revealed last month that it foiled a terrorist attack earlier this year by a group backed by the IRGC. The group, called the Qassem Soleimani Brigade, had apparently planned to attack several security and public structures in Bahrain.

And Albanian authorities said they prevented an attack by an "active cell" through informants inside criminal organizations working on behalf of Iran.

Iran also has established terror cells in Africa "to attack Western targets," he said.

"In 2018, the Iranian regime tried to orchestrate a terrorist operation in Europe: French officials foiled a planned bomb attack in Paris against a large 'Free Iran' convention held by people opposing the regime, and attended by many high-level speakers, including former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, as well as your humble correspondent."