August 1, 2025 | 09:36 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - On Thursday, July 31, 2025, fourteen Western countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and France, issued a joint statement condemning the growing threat posed by Iran’s intelligence services.
The statement cited incidents of murder, kidnapping, and harassment targeting individuals in Europe and North America.
According to Al Arabiya, the joint declaration was signed by Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
“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 said.
The U.S. State Department added, “We consider these types of attacks, regardless of the target, to be violations of our sovereignty. We are committed to working together to prevent these actions from occurring and call on Iranian authorities to immediately end such unlawful activities in our respective territories.”
Accusations Against Iran and Criminal Networks
The signatories also accused Iran of collaborating with international criminal networks to carry out cross-border operations. Iran News Update noted the statement reflects mounting concerns over Tehran’s global intelligence activities.
In recent years, multiple Iranian plots have been foiled, with agents arrested in major cities across Europe and North America. Western intelligence agencies have also raised alarms over Tehran’s use of cyber tools and proxy actors to intimidate and silence members of the Iranian diaspora.
A Pattern Over Three Years
Iran has faced repeated allegations over the past three years. In 2022, Iranian agents were accused of plotting to assassinate U.S. officials and Iranian-American dissidents. In 2023, German and Dutch security agencies thwarted an attack on a Jewish community center. In 2024, Iranian nationals were arrested in France and the UK for surveillance activities against opposition figures.
Most recently, Canadian authorities linked Iran’s intelligence networks to a campaign of intimidation against Iranians living in Canada.
Security Cooperation and Diplomatic Pushback
The UK government noted that since early 2022, over 20 assassination or abduction attempts connected to Iran have been blocked. Targets included British nationals and others seen as threats by Tehran.
In March, the UK introduced a requirement for Iran to register all political influence operations within its borders, citing increasing concerns over Iranian intelligence activity.
The joint statement reaffirmed the signatories' commitment to strengthening intelligence sharing and law enforcement coordination. They pledged to respond with firm diplomatic and security measures to future threats.
The statement ended with a call for Iran to immediately halt its extraterritorial operations, emphasizing that acts of violence or intimidation beyond its borders will not be tolerated.
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