“Italy presents a unique case in the West regarding relations with the Iranian regime”, with “a pragmatic approach that aims to avoid confrontation regardless of the positions taken by the European Union” towards the Ayatollahs.
This is not our assessment, but that of Minoo Mirshahvalad, an Iranian scholar at the University of Copenhagen who specializes in contemporary Islam. She is known for her opposition to the U.S. and Israeli military campaign launched on February 28 against the Iranian regime.
In a short article published last January, Mirshahvalad expressed her concerns about a possible regime change that would lead to violent outbursts:
“Many people these days are asking me what the solution is for Iran. The answer is simple: there isn’t one. If this mass—which in theory should be shaping the country’s future—is indicative of the level of political maturity available, then Iran is destined for a new form of dictatorship, equally blind and equally violent.”
And again:
“The Iranian people are not ready to develop anything better than the current political system. Indeed, they would slide into a Jacobin regime of terror that would lead Iran to total chaos, because—unlike revolutionary France—the contemporary Middle East is nothing more than a market for American-made weapons.”
Regardless of whether one agrees with Mirshahvalad’s positions or not, she certainly cannot be accused of sharing radical views of any kind.
In her academic article, “Al-Mustafa University and Transnational Shia Education in Europe,” published in Contemporary Islam/Springer (which can be downloaded here), the researcher examines the European activities of Al-Mustafa Islamic University, headquartered in Qom and also active in Italy (in Rome and Milan). She explains, as we will see shortly, how Iranian Shiite centers operate undisturbed despite regime propaganda.
It’s worth remembering that in December 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed Al-Mustafa University on its international terrorism blacklist for acting as a recruitment platform for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force (IRGC-QF) to conduct intelligence operations.
Italy’s Special Consideration of Shiite Islamic Centers
In the section of the article titled “Variables affecting AMU’s Operation (Al-Mustafa University),” point 2 discusses “European States’ attitudes toward Iran.” This is where things get interesting. After a brief European overview, focusing on Denmark, Germany, and Great Britain, the expert moves on to Italian-Iranian relations and explains:
“In a markedly different atmosphere, Italy presents a unique case. While Iranians in the country often express resentment toward institutions perceived to have ties with the Iranian state, there have been no governmental interventions to close or restrict such establishments. Italy has maintained a pragmatic relationship with Iran—while supporting EU policies on Iran, it has generally adopted a more business-oriented and less confrontational stance than other Western states. Italy is Iran’s first European trading partner. As a result, it avoids completely severing ties with Iran.”
And again:
“A visible reflection of this relatively relaxed approach is the treatment of the Imam Ali Center in Milan. This organization has clear ties to the Iranian consulate, a fact even acknowledged on the consulate’s website, where the center is referred to as its cultural branch. At its Milan premises, portraits of Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei are prominently displayed, nearly aligned with the qibla. More significantly, during an interview in November 2017, the center’s clerical head explicitly confirmed that it receives financial support from the Iranian consulate, and hence it is not surprising that every year in February the Imam Ali Center hosts celebrations of the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Despite these overt connections, there has been no strong backlash from Italian authorities or media. Consequently, ISRA in Milan continues its modest activities without state interference.”
The Italian branch of Al-Mustafa University, whose website has been offline for several months, was directed by Hanieh Tarkian, wife of Iranian cleric Abolfazl Emami, also resident in Italy and a Doctor of Islamic Political Law and International Relations from Al-Mustafa University in Iran, as well as a jurist at the religious school of Qom. Tarkian stood out on social media for her constant propaganda activity in favor of the Tehran regime and against Israel and the United States.
The Imam Mahdi Islamic Center in Rome and Propaganda
In March, the US-based think tank Washington Outsider Center published a report examining the history, structure, and activities of another Khomeinist Islamic center based in Rome: the well-known Imam Mahdi Center, active since the second decade of the 2000s and founded by Italian converts. It also explored the central role played by its president, Damiano Abbas Di Palma, also a convert, who studied in Qom and holds the title of Hujjatulislam (Shiite scholar). Di Palma was also listed as a teacher of Quranic sciences and Hadith at the Italian branch of Al-Mustafa University.
According to a 2005 article published in the AISI Italian intelligence magazine “Gnosis,” the Imam Mahdi Center was born from a split within the Italian branch of the Khomeini-affiliated network “Ahl al Bait,” founded by former members of the Italian far right:
“Or the activities of Neapolitan Luigi De Martino, another former Ordine Nuovo militant who converted in 1985 under the name Ammar, founder and inspiration of the Shiite-Islamic Association “Ahl Al Bait” (House of the People). Established in Naples in the wake of interest sparked by the Khomeini revolution, Ahl Al Bait is linked to the international network of the same name based in Tehran. Close to the positions of Hezbollah and Hamas, the organization, which is primarily dedicated to proselytism and cultural dissemination, has a distinctly anti-Zionist and anti-Western outlook. It has attracted many groups of the “converted” Italian far-right. The Roman association “Imam al Mahdi” itself was recently formed from an internal split within Ahl Al Bait and is also inspired by another former right-wing militant who converted to Islam, Marco “Hussein” Morelli.”
Thus, the nexus between the far right and Khomeini’s ideology emerges, with ex members from the former finding in the latter a new cause for struggle against so-called “Western imperialism” and “Zionism.”
The Imam Mahdi Center has distinguished itself with a series of initiatives, including a conference with Hezbollah MP Nawar al-Sahili in 2015; a conference on the “liberation of southern Lebanon” and Hezbollah in 2023, with the participation of Hassane Assi (president of the Friends of Lebanon Association, pictured among other things near the Hezbollah flag in Lebanon) and Maurizio Falessi (former member of the Communist Combatant Units and a fugitive for years in Lebanon); the commemoration of the death of Hassan Nasrallah; and the presentation of the book “The Seeds of the Revolution” (a biography of Ali Khamenei) in 2024.
On March 11, 2026, the Imam Mahdi Center then published a statement regarding the death of Ali Khamenei and the alleged succession of his son Mojtaba, once again highlighting the connection between the Islamic center and the Iranian regime:
“The cowardly and criminal assassination, at the hands of the United States and Israel, of the eminent religious authority and Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Grand Ayatullah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, has inflicted a profound wound of pain and dismay not only on the Iranian people and every true Muslim, but also on all those noble and free men who saw in him a beacon of spiritual, political, and moral rectitude. We are not interested here in denouncing the countless violations of international law or so-called human rights, nor in once again condemning the bloody policies of death and plunder that, since their inception, have characterized the United States and the Zionist regime. However, we remain firm in our condemnation of the Israeli-American aggression and barbarity against Iran. For Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, as for all those souls who, until their last breath, remained faithful to their pact with God, martyrdom is nothing other than the holy crowning and sublime reward of a life that—in the celestial shadow of the Holy Quran and Islam—was totally consecrated to the Almighty and to the service of the Iranian people, the Islamic Ummah, and all the oppressed throughout the world. And as we congratulate the Assembly of Experts on the wise appointment of Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Leader of the Revolution, we pray to Almighty God that He may keep him on the same shining path, blazed by his predecessors with tears, joy, and blood, and that His strong hand may never tire of holding aloft the banner of Faith, Truth, and Justice throughout the world. Oh you who believe, persevere! Encourage yourselves to persevere, close ranks, and fear Allah, that you may prosper” (Quran, 3:200). 21 Ramadan 1447 – 11 March 2026.”
A statement that seems to have come from an Iranian diplomatic mission rather than an Islamic center, though by now it is abundantly clear that the line between the two is virtually nonexistent.
Returning to the initial question raised by Dr. Mirshahvalad regarding Italy–Iranian relations, the points highlighted by the researcher that merit further reflection are the following:
“While Iranians in the country often express resentment toward institutions perceived to have ties with the Iranian state, there have been no governmental interventions to close or restrict such establishments.”
Currently, Germany is the only European country to have taken direct and large-scale action to close Islamic centers linked to Iran. In July 2024, the German Ministry of the Interior closed the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH), labeling it an “Islamic extremist organization” and a direct representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader. The measures included the closure of the “Blue Mosque” in Hamburg and over 50 other properties and subsidiary organizations in eight German landers. The centers were accused of promoting political and religious extremism, supporting the terrorist group Hezbollah, and acting against the constitutional order. It should be noted that Germany had previously expelled several officials from Iranian-backed centers, including the deputy director of the Hamburg center in 2022 and another director in 2024.
Germany’s intervention against Iranian Islamic centers is interesting, considering that Germany is Iran’s largest trading partner. In fact, in the 2025-2026 period, Germany accounted for approximately 31-32% of total trade between the EU and Iran, with exports of machinery and chemical products accounting for around 31% of total trade, as illustrated on the Italian Trade Commission website.
The measures taken by German authorities against centers dedicated to Khomeini’s propaganda demonstrate that Germany is uncompromising when it comes to internal security, but also that privileged economic and trade relations with Iran do not preclude the adoption of necessary measures against the regime’s nerve centers on German soil.
Another country that appears to be moving toward banning Khomeinist Islamic centers is Austria. In 2024, the Austrian Parliament considered a series of legal options for closing the “Imam Ali” center in Vienna, which has ties to the Iranian embassy and is accused of promoting extremism and anti-Semitism. Last April, the issue returned to the forefront after Austrian national broadcaster ORF reported that the National Council was once again considering the possible closure of the “Imam Ali” center. The decision was reportedly linked to a violent brawl that broke out inside the Islamic center after a memorial ceremony in honor of the late Ali Khamenei, which required police intervention. ORF also noted that the incident sparked strong political reactions, with members of several Austrian parties calling for a more thorough investigation into the Islamic center’s activities.
The second point highlighted by the Mirshahvalad to dwell on is the following:
“Italy has maintained a pragmatic relationship with Iran—while supporting EU policies on Iran, it has generally adopted a more business-oriented and less confrontational stance than other Western states. Italy is Iran’s first European trading partner. As a result, it avoids completely severing ties with Iran.”
First, it should be noted that, currently, Italy is Iran’s second-largest trading partner in the EU, accounting for 15.6% of total trade. Given this, it should be highlighted that the two Iranian Islamic centers identified as having direct ties to the regime through diplomatic offices, located in Rome and Milan, are still operating despite their extensively documented propaganda activities.
Another aspect that should be assessed is the possible presence of Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) operatives on Italian soil, given that last January the European Union blacklisted them as terrorist organizations, alongside ISIS, al-Qaeda, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It should also be noted that Italy, along with France, was the main promoter of the measure, as reported by Euronews:
“Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani urged the EU to declare Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization, following the bloody repression of mass protests that have swept across the country in recent weeks.”
The move prompted Tehran to immediately recall the Italian ambassador, Paola Amedei, to express its firm opposition to Italy’s position. The regime defined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “legally constituted component of the Iranian armed forces” and also warned of serious repercussions on relations between the two countries.
A few days later, Tajani declared that the inclusion of the IRGC in the EU blacklist did not imply the breaking of diplomatic relations and dialogue with the Iranian regime, explaining that Italy’s change of position towards the IRGC was due to the deaths of thousands of protesters during the January 2026 protests.
