Iran Accused by UK and 13 Allies of Plotting Assassinations, Tehran Denies Charges
TL/DR –
The UK and 13 allied countries have accused Iran’s intelligence services of carrying out assassination attempts, abductions, and intimidation campaigns on Western soil. The group, including the US, France, Germany, and Canada, sees these actions as a breach of national sovereignty and calls for Iran to cease these activities. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected these accusations as “baseless”, alleging them to be part of a campaign to shift public attention from other issues and to pressure Iran.
UK and Allies Accuse Iran of International Crimes, Tehran Rejects Claims
Iran faces accusations by the UK and 13 allies of orchestrating assassination attempts and abductions on Western soil, which Tehran dismisses as baseless.
The United Kingdom, along with nations like the United States, France, Germany, and Canada, have pointed the finger at Iran’s intelligence services, alleging a spree of extradited crimes including assassinations and abductions against Western citizens.
A joint statement released on Thursday accused Tehran’s extraterritorial activities as a blatant violation of national sovereignty.
The signatories, which include European countries Albania, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK, have appealed to Iranian authorities to cease these activities believed to be in collaboration with international criminal networks.
Iran Dismisses Allegations
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, branded these allegations as unfounded on Friday.
Baghaei brushed off the accusations as distractions from more pressing issues, such as the situation in occupied Palestine, and characterized them as an Iranophobia campaign designed to pressure Iran.
Recently, a UK parliamentary committee linked at least 15 plots against UK citizens since 2022 to Iranian operatives. In retaliation, the UK introduced stricter measures, including the mandatory registration of any Iranian political activity within the UK.
In May, the UK police arrested seven Iranian individuals over alleged national security threats, which Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has called “unfounded and unwarranted”.
Similar incidents have occurred across Europe, including a failed 2024 assassination attempt in the Netherlands involving an Iranian dissident, and the arrest of an individual connected to the shooting of Spanish politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras. Both cases have been linked to Iran, which has denied any involvement.
The US Department of Justice has charged three Europe-based gang members, and later an Iranian official, with an alleged plot to murder an Iranian-American journalist. Tehran’s foreign ministry has also dismissed these claims as baseless.
Increased Tensions
These accusations have further aggravated tensions over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran and Western powers have been at a standstill with their talks. Iranian officials and diplomats from the UK, Germany, and France recently held discussions in Istanbul following Israel’s air strikes against Iran, which resulted in a 12-day period of escalated conflict.
Despite Israel’s allegations of Iran covertly developing nuclear weapons, Tehran and US intelligence agencies assert that Iran’s nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes only.
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