Iran Ties Shadow Code Pink Co-Founder

Young woman leading a protest with a megaphone — Photo: Lomb / Shutterstock

A U.K. newspaper reports that Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin met figures later sanctioned for ties to Iranian intelligence, renewing questions about foreign influence and activist networks.

Story Snapshot

The Telegraph says Benjamin attended a 2014 Tehran conference later linked by the U.S. Treasury to intelligence recruitment.
Photos show Benjamin with New Horizon organizers later sanctioned for supporting Iran’s Revolutionary Guard operations.
Benjamin also appeared on Iranian state media in 2014 and joined a 2019 Iran visit, according to reports.
Reports note no proof Benjamin knowingly worked for Iranian intelligence; asset language alone is not proof.

What The Reporting Establishes About The 2014 Tehran Event

The Telegraph reports that Medea Benjamin traveled to Tehran in 2014 to attend a conference run by New Horizon, a group the United States Treasury Department later sanctioned in 2019. Treasury described New Horizon as a platform used by Iranian security services to recruit and gather information from Western attendees, according to the reporting. The Telegraph links the 2014 meeting to later U.S. findings about the group’s role, placing Benjamin at the same event years before the sanctions.

The Telegraph’s account says photographs show Benjamin with Nader Talebzadeh and Hamed Ghashghavi. Later U.S. actions tied both men to New Horizon leadership and described roles that aligned with Iranian Revolutionary Guard interests, according to the cited coverage. The report frames these contacts as part of a known influence venue. The contacts occurred in 2014, while the U.S. sanctions and designations arrived in 2019, which affects what any attendee could have known at the time.

Evidence Beyond The Conference: Media And Return Visits

Coverage states Benjamin’s Iran engagement extended beyond the single event. A 2014 article described a twenty-five-minute appearance by Benjamin on Press TV, Iran’s state broadcaster, recorded in Tehran. Later reports say she traveled to Iran again in 2019 with a Code Pink group and met Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. These items show ongoing public contact and access, which fits common influence patterns that rely on media, meetings, and recurring ties.

The Telegraph also cites a purported handwritten note from Benjamin to Hamed Ghashghavi after the 2014 gathering. The report describes the note but does not reproduce full text or forensic details in the excerpts. The claim places Benjamin in direct correspondence with a figure later tied to New Horizon leadership. That detail supports evidence of contact but, by itself, does not prove covert direction or pay.

What The Reporting Does Not Claim As Proven

Fox News noted that labeling someone as an “asset” does not by itself prove that person knowingly worked with Iranian intelligence, a key legal and factual line. The Telegraph’s article, as summarized by other outlets, highlights contacts, photos, appearances, and travel. It does not present proof of payment, tasking instructions, or a formal agency relationship attributed to Benjamin. The Telegraph also reported it found no evidence that Code Pink received Iranian government funds and included Benjamin’s 2024 denial of foreign backing.

This distinction matters for law and accountability. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires people who act in the United States on behalf of a foreign principal to influence policy or public opinion to register with the Department of Justice. FARA is a disclosure law, not a blanket speech ban. It targets undisclosed work for foreign principals, not mere advocacy that aligns with foreign views without direction or control.

Why This Story Resonates With Voters Across The Aisle

Americans across parties worry that foreign governments use conferences, media platforms, and advocacy networks to shape U.S. debates. The Tehran conference, later linked by U.S. authorities to recruitment activities, fits that pattern. Activists, academics, and commentators can be courted for access and messaging long before any covert steps occur. That possibility fuels concern that influence seeps in through public events, travel, and television, well outside traditional spy stories.

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, met two individuals later sanctioned for links to Iran in 2014, according to The Telegraph. These individuals were identified by US officials as facilitators for the Islamic Republic's foreign intelligence. #IranObservatory #Iran pic.twitter.com/UNCLClmP5A

— Iran Observatory (@IRObservatory) October 24, 2026

For conservatives, the report underscores fears about hostile states exploiting activist causes to weaken U.S. policy. For liberals, it spotlights the fine line between peace activism and becoming a channel for a repressive regime’s messaging. For both, it points to a government that often reacts years later, after ties harden. People see a system that warns late and polices selectively, which deepens the belief that elites protect networks while citizens are left in the dark.

What To Watch Next: Records, Disclosures, And Oversight

Key next steps include document releases on the 2014 event, including attendee lists, programs, and original media files. Verification of the reported handwritten note would add clarity. Public Treasury designation files and any unclassified summaries could further detail New Horizon’s methods. Lawful requests to the Treasury Department, State Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) could test for records that link contacts to tasking or payment, which would shift the legal stakes toward required disclosure.