Canada let Iran football chief linked to IRGC in — then got caught | Eye for Iran | EP 101|

An Iran International exclusive has triggered a political firestorm in Ottawa — after Mehdi Taj, Iran’s football chief and a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence commander, was granted entry into Canada despite being legally inadmissible under the country’s own terrorist designation.

Taj was issued a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) — a rare override used to bypass national security inadmissibility — allowing him to travel to Vancouver for a FIFA Congress. But after the story broke and public pressure mounted, he was stopped at the airport and sent back.

Now, Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing mounting questions:
Who approved the permit? Why was an IRGC-linked figure allowed in? And did the government only act after being exposed?

Melissa Lantsman, Deputy Leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, joins Eye for Iran to demand accountability, warning that this case exposes deeper failures in Canada’s immigration system, national security screening and enforcement of its own IRGC terror listing.

But this story doesn’t stop at Canada.

At the same time, the UK is facing a surge in violent attacks targeting Jewish communities — including a stabbing in Golders Green, attempted synagogue firebombings and arson attacks on Jewish ambulances.

British authorities are now investigating whether these attacks are linked to Iran and a shadow network known as HAYI (Harakat al-Shabab al-Yamin al-Islamiyah).

Alex Winston of The Jerusalem Post explains why intelligence officials fear this reflects a broader Iranian strategy: proxy networks, online radicalization
and sleeper cells recruited across Europe

Len Khodorkovsky, former U.S. State Department official, breaks down the war of narratives, Trump’s warning to Iran and how the regime is using internet blackouts and information control to hide unrest and shape global perception.

This episode connects the dots between immigration policy, terrorism and the Islamic Republic’s global reach — and asks critical questions.

Guests: Melissa Lantsman, Len Khodorkovsky, Alex Winston
Host: Negar Mojtahedi
Program: Eye for Iran

Eye for Iran is a podcast series brought you by Iran International that takes you beyond the headlines and brings you the Iran stories that matter most.

Chapters:
00:00 Opening Highlights | Taj turned away, Trump warning, UK Jewish attacks

02:15 Melissa Lantsman | How did Mehdi Taj get a permit?
03:25 Melissa Lantsman | “Somebody issued him a permit”
05:16 Melissa Lantsman | IRGC concerns in Canada
07:42 Melissa Lantsman | “They circumvented the rules”
08:51 Melissa Lantsman | Who approved Taj’s entry?
10:09 Melissa Lantsman | Canada’s privacy excuse
11:27 Melissa Lantsman | Parliament demands answers
12:09 Melissa Lantsman | Did Canada act only after being exposed?
13:41 Melissa Lantsman | Canada’s wider IRGC problem
15:44 Melissa Lantsman | Ottawa’s confusing response
16:47 Melissa Lantsman | What happens next?

18:47 Alex Winston | UK Jewish attacks and possible Iran links
19:41 Alex Winston | Golders Green, synagogue firebombings and HAYI
20:07 Alex Winston | Iran’s external operations playbook
22:30 Alex Winston | Telegram, IRGC-linked media and proxy networks
24:03 Alex Winston | Why proving Iran links is difficult
26:39 Alex Winston | Was HAYI born out of the war?
27:38 Alex Winston | How Iran takes the war to the West
29:45 Alex Winston | Is the West waking up?
30:51 Alex Winston | Is regime change the only solution?
32:38 Alex Winston | Where the war could go next
36:01 Alex Winston | Fears of more sleeper-cell attacks

38:02 Len Khodorkovsky | Iran, messaging and information warfare
38:27 Len Khodorkovsky | America’s message to Iran’s regime and people