The United Kingdom, the United States, and 12 other allied nations issued a strong joint condemnation on Thursday, accusing Iranian intelligence services of orchestrating a disturbing uptick in assassination, abduction, and intimidation plots across Europe and North America.
In a rare and coordinated statement, the countries declared:
“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.”
The declaration, backed by Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Others that backed the declaration were Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, called on Tehran to immediately halt its alleged extraterritorial operations.
The statement also accused Iran of increasingly collaborating with transnational criminal organizations to carry out these activities.
British authorities say they have foiled more than 20 Iranian-linked plots on UK soil since early 2022.
These were involving plans to abduct or assassinate individuals Tehran deems hostile, including British citizens.
A recent report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), released Tuesday, raised further alarm.
It raised further alarm by detailing Iran’s growing use of criminal gangs in Europe to strike Jewish and other perceived targets.
The report claims Iran is leveraging local crime syndicates like Sweden’s Foxtrot and Rumba gangs, as well as other networks in Germany, the UK, France, and Belgium, to carry out its objectives.
The UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) echoed these concerns in a recent report, identifying Iran as a serious and expanding threat to British national security.
Although it ranks behind Russia and China in terms of geopolitical threat level, the report criticized the UK government for underestimating the scope of Iran’s hostile activities.
The ISC urged the British government to reassess its stance on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
It suggested that proscribing the group as a terrorist organization could be an effective countermeasure.
Many British lawmakers have long advocated for such a move, particularly in light of Iran’s increasingly aggressive behavior abroad.
In March, the UK responded to growing concerns by mandating that the Iranian state register all political influence operations conducted within British territory.
Officials cited an escalation in threats originating from Tehran’s intelligence apparatus.
Iran’s operations in the West have become the subject of intensified scrutiny.
In October 2023, a Reuters investigation revealed a broad Iranian campaign involving attempted assassinations and kidnappings across Europe and the United States.
These efforts targeted dissidents, journalists, and members of minority communities critical of the regime.
One particularly chilling case occurred in December.
At the time, two Romanian nationals were charged in connection with the stabbing of a journalist affiliated with a Persian-language news outlet in London.
Just a few months earlier, three Iranian men appeared in court for allegedly assisting Iran’s foreign intelligence agency and planning attacks on journalists.
In another incident in May, UK police arrested eight Iranian men suspected of plotting an attack on the Israeli Embassy in London.
Reports indicated that the arrests were made just hours before the plan was set to be executed, potentially averting a high-casualty event.
The joint condemnation by Western allies sends a clear signal that Iran’s extraterritorial activities will not be tolerated.
However, experts warn that Tehran’s use of proxies and criminal networks makes such plots increasingly difficult to detect and prevent.
Diplomatic tensions between Iran and the West continue to simmer as Tehran faces mounting pressure over its human rights record, nuclear ambitions, and regional interventions.
The coordinated warning from 14 governments suggests that security services across multiple countries are stepping up efforts.
This is supposedly to thwart Iranian influence and protect targeted communities and individuals.
As the threat landscape evolves, Western governments are expected to consider stronger counterintelligence measures and enhanced cooperation.
These should be to confront what many are calling a dangerous campaign of international coercion and state-sponsored violence.