Kasra Aarabi is an analyst in the Extremism Policy Unit at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change where he works on Iran and Shia Islamist extremism. His current focus is on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its role in nurturing Shia militancy across the Middle East and beyond. His latest research exposes the internal ideological training programme used by the IRGC to radicalise its recruits. This is the first time these manuals have been translated and analysed from Persian to English

Kasra’s analysis has featured in international outlets, including CNBC Europe, The Times, The Sunday Times, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post. He also regularly engages with policymakers and diplomats from across world, including the US, UK, Europe and Middle East.   

Before joining the Institute, Kasra worked as a researcher and coordinator for the UK House of Commons All-Party Parliamentary Group on Iran. He previously worked as a parliamentary researcher for former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, where he focused on foreign policy and issues relating to the Middle East.

Kasra is a native Persian (Farsi) speaker and holds an MA (Hons) in international relations and a BA in international politics, both from King’s College London.