US and Allies Accuse Iran of Assassination, Kidnapping

Defence affairs analysis

The United States and 13 allied nations have issued a joint statement accusing Iran's intelligence services of carrying out assassination attempts, abductions, and harassment campaigns targeting individuals across Europe and North America.

Governments including France, Germany, Canada, and Britain joined the U.S. in condemning Tehran's alleged extraterritorial actions, labeling them a violation of national sovereignty. In response, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the allegations as "baseless and ridiculous."

The coordinated statement represents one of the strongest multilateral rebukes of Iran's intelligence activities to date. It highlights growing international alarm over Tehran's alleged willingness to use foreign-based criminal networks to silence its critics abroad.

Following the 12-day war between Israel and Iran as well as U.S. airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear sites, the joint statement reflects mounting concern over Tehran's regional behavior and nuclear ambitions. It also underscores fears that Iran's operations now extend beyond the Middle East as part of a wider global campaign.

The signatory nations accused Iran of systematically targeting journalists, dissidents, and current and former government officials—particularly those critical of the regime—in a coordinated campaign of violence and intimidation.

The U.S. Justice Department in 2023 indicted three individuals tied to a European criminal network accused of plotting to assassinate a dissident Iranian-American journalist on behalf of Tehran. Later that year, another man was charged over an alleged Iranian plot to kill then-U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

British authorities reported disrupting over 20 Iran-linked plots since early 2022, including attempted kidnappings and assassinations of individuals considered threats by Tehran—some of them British citizens.

Dutch officials said they foiled a 2024 plan to assassinate an Iranian national in the Netherlands. Two suspects were arrested, one of whom was also linked to the attempted shooting of a Spanish politician.

Iran Rejects Allegations

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei dismissed the accusations as "baseless and ridiculous," calling the claims a brazen attempt to deflect blame and shift public attention away from what he described as "Israeli genocidal crimes in Palestine."

He further rejected the security-related claims and turned the accusations back on the West, asserting that the U.S., France, and other signatories should "be held accountable for the measures in violation of the international law."

Joint statement by the United States and 13 allies: "We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei: "The U.S., France and the other countries that have signed the anti-Iranian statement must themselves be held accountable for the measures in violation of the international law in support of terrorism as the sponsors and hosts of the terrorist and violent elements and groups."