DAVID PATRIKARAKOS: The leafy corner of London that's like a little Tehran...
and what it reveals about the sinister reach of the Iranian regime's malign hand By David Patrikarakos For The Daily Mail Published: 02:06 BST, 23 August 2024 | Updated: 02:06 BST, 23 August 2024 e-mail View comments The man with a thick black beard and his hair tied into a bun is curious. 'Are you celebrities?' he asks. His English is flawless but the accent is unmistakably Iranian.
His clothes are dark, but he's wearing rolled-up tracksuit bottoms with trendy trainers. The look is Tehran theocrat meets London hipster. He has seen Kasra Aarabi, director of the campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), and me posing for photographs outside the gates of the Islamic Centre of England.
It's a registered charity that describes itself as a 'religious and cultural centre' with a mission 'to provide services to members of the Muslim community, in particular, and the wider community at large'. But, in reality, the large white building set behind railings and trees is the de facto British headquarters of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei – and it's clear that the people here are keen to safeguard their privacy. As we finished our shoot, the bearded man takes pictures of us on his phone and then follows as we walk a few hundred yards up the street and round a corner.
He is what Iranians call a 'nocheh', a man (and it is always a man) paid to keep watch outside regime buildings. 'So, why were you .