Adversary Intelligence — 2026-09-20

Tehran Launches Alaj Crowdsourced Intelligence Platform Targeting Iranian Diaspora as Transnational Repression Evolves

BLUFTehran's Alaj platform will likely enable a new physical attack or assassination plot against a diaspora dissident within 90 days by crowdsourcing targeting data that feeds an already operational transnational repression apparatus.

Iranian state outlet Fars News Agency reported on September 14 that Tehran had launched Alaj ("Healing"), an online portal asking the public to identify alleged "traitors" abroad, including diaspora members who backed military strikes or sanctions on Iran 12. dpa reported that roughly 600 people had already been named on the site by September 15, with some individuals' identities published 2. FDD's Janatan Sayeh wrote that Alaj seeks to impose legal, financial, media, and citizenship restrictions on those it targets 3. On September 15, the United States, United Kingdom, and Netherlands issued a joint advisory warning that Iranian-linked spyware has tracked dissidents abroad, part of a campaign that has included kidnapping and assassination plots, according to FDD 3.

Analysis
Alaj converts crowdsourced diaspora tips into dossiers Tehran can use for legal, financial, and physical pressure, extending a collection apparatus that already feeds abduction and assassination planning. A Western government or credible NGO will likely attribute a new physical attack, abduction attempt, or assassination plot against an Iranian diaspora dissident to Tehran within the next 90 days. Tehran has repeatedly outsourced such plots to criminal networks on multiple continents, and Alaj now supplies a fresh stream of location and identity leads to sustain that pattern. We have high confidence in this judgment, given the near-simultaneous convergence of the spyware advisory and the platform's launch, which point to an integrated collection-to-action apparatus rather than isolated incidents.

3 sources

Islamic Republic asks public to identify opponents abroad - Iran International
Iran sets up website to report critics abroad - dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)
Tehran's Transnational Repression Strategy Is Evolving - FDD