Iran rejected a joint statement by the United States and thirteen allied governments that said Tehran has engaged in plots targeting individuals in Europe and North America, the Iranian foreign ministry said on Friday.
“This is a clear fabrication and a desperate move to divert attention,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in remarks carried by state media. “These baseless narratives are part of a broader Iranophobia campaign designed to justify hostile policies toward Iran.”
The US and countries including France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada issued a statement this week warning that Iranian intelligence services are cooperating with international criminal networks to surveil, intimidate and potentially harm journalists, activists and political figures living abroad.
In response, Baghaei said the countries involved “must be held accountable for their open support of violent and terrorist groups who have committed acts of bloodshed against the Iranian people.” He added, “Instead of answering for their illegal behavior, they resort to media campaigns based on lies.”
Western concerns grow after publicized incidents
The Western statement followed a string of recent warnings from European and US authorities. The UK’s counter terrorism police said Iran is among the most active foreign states involved in plots to harm people on British soil. Officials in London said the Islamic Republic uses criminal intermediaries and targets vulnerable individuals to carry out surveillance or attacks.
“We are increasingly seeing these three states — Iran, Russia and China — undertaking threat-to-life operations in the United Kingdom,” said Dominic Murphy, head of London’s Counter Terrorism Command, earlier this month.
Belgian lawmaker Darya Safai said this week that local police told her about a plot to abduct her via Turkey, which she linked to her calls to label Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group.
A pattern of pressure and denials
Western governments say Iran’s operations abroad are growing more frequent and bold. A report by the UK Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee this month said Iran was behind at least 15 attempted assassinations or kidnappings on British soil since 2022.
Iran denies involvement in such operations and frequently calls international criticism part of a politically motivated campaign.
