US, UK and 12 allies issue rare joint warning over Iranian assassination and kidnapping plots
By Isabella Egerton
The United States, the United Kingdom, France and 11 other allied nations have issued a joint statement condemning what they describe as a surge in Iranian intelligence operations targeting individuals in Europe and North America.
Austria, Albania, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden joined the three Western powers in accusing Tehran of attempted assassinations, kidnappings and harassment campaigns. The statement warns that Iranian intelligence agencies are increasingly using international criminal networks to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials.
“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 statement read. All 14 signatories called on Iran to immediately end such activities in their territories and pledged to work together to prevent further plots.
British authorities say they have disrupted more than 20 Iran-linked operations since 2022, including plots against London-based journalists working for Iran International. In Germany, prosecutors charged a suspect in July with gathering intelligence on Jewish individuals and locations in Berlin. Investigators allege he was working on behalf of Iranian state security.
In March, the UK announced new powers requiring Tehran to register any political influence activities in Britain, citing what the government described as increasingly aggressive behaviour by Iranian intelligence services. British officials say the joint statement reflects growing concern across allied governments that these operations are no longer isolated incidents but part of a coordinated campaign.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei called the statement “blatant fabrications and a diversionary tactic” and accused Western governments of sheltering violent opposition groups, including the Mujahedeen-e Khalq. The group was once designated as a terrorist organisation by both the US and the EU and has long been a target of Iranian security services.
The warning follows previous allegations that Tehran plotted kidnappings and assassinations on US soil, including against dissident journalist Masih Alinejad and former senior US officials. Western intelligence agencies say these cases point to a pattern of extraterritorial operations that is now drawing a coordinated international response.
