Iran’s questionable stance against narcoterrorism while actively funding and transporting drugs

Ellee Low | Al-Arabiya

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Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun met with Iran's head of the National Security Council, Ali Larijani, and a delegation at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon. (AFP) 

Iran’s repeated claims that it is committed to combating narcoterrorism are facing renewed scrutiny as contradictions between Tehran’s public stance and its continued support for Hezbollah were highlighted in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) council session on 11 December 2025.

The issue has gained fresh attention after the delegate of Iran once again asserted in the council session that the country is “firmly against both drug trafficking and narcoterrorism, viewing them as international problems”. However, Iran’s actions from its role as a key transit point for heroin and opium to its financial military backing of Hezbollah undermine these declarations.

The golden crescent formed by Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan is a major opium hub that Afghanistan is the main producer of and where Iran serves as a major transit route for heroin and opium flowing from Afghanistan. Besides transit, Iran has one of the world’s highest per capita rates of opioid addiction, consuming a significant portion of the drugs passing through.

Afghanistan is a major producer of opium and heroin. Narco-terrorism in Afghanistan has direct involvement with terrorism in South Asia. The profits earned from the narcotics trade are primarily used to fund extremist groups operating in the region. Groups like the Taliban, which history has shown them to control significant parts of Afghanistan’s opium production.

Iran has reaffirmed their stance on narcoterrorism, saying: “Iran is firmly against both drug trafficking and narcoterrorism, viewing them as international problems.” This shows a contradiction to Iran’s statement as their activities being a transit hub of opium and heroin for markets as far away as in Africa and Asia.

During the UNODC council session, Iran and Afghanistan formed a bloc and were strictly against intel sharing and x-ray systems and multilateral solutions aimed at disrupting narcoterrorism financing. Delegates from both countries argued these measures infringed on national sovereignty. Ironically, the delegate of Iran also shared with Al-Arabiya that they hope to counter narcoterrorism through strict border security and targeting trafficking, and forms a firm stance against the issue.

When Iran was asked about their plans against narcoterrorism, considering their involvement in the golden crescent, they replied: “Iran’s approach to tackling narcoterrorism within the golden crescent focuses on tightening border safety, boosting intelligence and coordinating operations with Afghanistan and Pakistan to disrupt trafficking networks. It also supports development and alternative livelihoods in Afghanistan to reduce poppy cultivation while calling for greater international support to strengthen regional anti-drug efforts.

Iran failed to explain the reasoning behind continuously transporting drugs to countries all over the world, proving that anti-corruption solutions within the Iranian government have not yet been discussed and are not at the top of their priorities.

Beyond Iran’s geographic role in narcotics transit, a larger contradiction lies in Tehran’s financial and military support for Hezbollah, a group that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has called a major global drug and money-laundering network and other governments have linked to narcotics trafficking across multiple continents.

Hezbollah has been implicated in a drug smuggling operation from South America to West Africa and Europe. Investigations by the US have previously tied the group to large-scale cocaine shipments, money laundering networks, and collaborations with transnational criminal organisations. These activities have been described by regional security officials as a form of narcoterrorism where drug profits are funnelled directly into militant operations.

Reports from Western and Middle Eastern intelligence agencies estimate that Iran funds Hezbollah with hundreds of millions of dollars annually, in addition to weapons and training. The fact that the Iranian government did not consider how the money is separated in Hezbollah’s transnational criminal enterprise shows their failure and emphasises the irony of Iran’s presence in the UNODC.

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