Israel Hayom report examines Iran’s religious and academic networks in Thailand amid anti-Israel protests

Iran has spent years developing religious, educational and academic ties in Thailand that could provide Tehran with channels for influencing public discourse, including attitudes toward Israel, according to a report published by Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom.

The report said Iran’s presence in Thailand extends beyond formal diplomatic relations and includes connections with religious centers, local clerics and educational institutions associated with the country’s Shia Muslim community.

Among the institutions cited was Al-Mustafa International University, an Iran-based religious and academic institution with an international network.

The newspaper stressed, however, that the existence of Iranian connections does not mean that all Shia religious or community activity in Thailand is linked to Tehran.

According to the report, such networks have attracted increased attention in Israel since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, particularly following the participation of figures associated with Thailand’s Shia community in demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy and events concerning the war and Thai nationals held hostage in Gaza.

The report also examined a demonstration on the island of Phuket on 11^th September, where it said around 500 people gathered near a Chabad centre. A planned Jewish New Year event was subsequently cancelled because of concerns about possible violence, according to the newspaper.

Israel Hayom said the main demonstration was organized by local groups but alleged that individuals it described as connected to Iranian networks had expressed support for the protest on social media. The report did not establish that the Iranian government organized or directed the demonstration.

The newspaper also highlighted claims circulating online about Chabad centres and pro-Israel groups allegedly seeking to acquire or control land in Thailand. It characterised some of those claims as conspiratorial and antisemitic.

The report argued that Iran does not necessarily need to directly organize political activity to exert influence, contending that religious, academic and social networks developed over time can help create channels through which political narratives favourable to Tehran may spread.

That assessment reflects the newspaper’s analysis of Iranian influence in Thailand and does not by itself establish that the institutions, activists or protests cited in the report were operating under Iranian government direction.