Iran Rejects Western Accusations of 'Assassination and Kidnapping' Describing Them as 'Baseless'

Iran rejected accusations from the United States, Britain, and 13 allied countries, including France, Germany, and Canada, of conducting 'assassination and kidnapping' campaigns against opponents and journalists outside its territories, describing these allegations as 'baseless'.

This came in response to a joint statement issued on Thursday, in which these countries condemned 'the escalating assassination, kidnapping, and harm plots carried out by Iranian intelligence agencies against individuals in Europe and North America,' considering it a 'violation of their sovereignty'.

In a statement released today, Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ismail Baghaei, said: 'These accusations are an attempt to divert public attention from the current main issue, which is the genocide in occupied Palestine,' referring to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Baghaei added: 'The United States, France, and other countries that signed the anti-Iran statement must be held accountable for their support and embrace of terrorist and violent groups, which constitutes a violation of international law and support for terrorism'.

The Iranian spokesperson seemingly referred to armed opposition groups opposed to Tehran, such as the 'Mujahideen-e-Khalq' organization, which was previously listed on the terrorism lists of the European Union and the United States but now operates freely in the West.

On their part, Western countries mentioned in their joint statement: 'We are united in our opposition to the attempts by Iranian intelligence agencies to kill, kidnap, and harm individuals in Europe and North America.' The signatory governments, which also include Albania, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden, called on Iran to 'immediately stop these illegal activities'.

The statement noted that these operations 'are carried out in cooperation with international criminal networks,' while Britain revealed thwarting more than 20 plots since early 2022 to kidnap or kill individuals on its soil, including British nationals and individuals Tehran considers a 'threat'.

Media reports, including a Reuters report last October, indicated Iran's involvement in a wave of assassination and kidnapping attempts across Europe and the United States. London also announced in March its intention to compel the Iranian state to register all political influence activities, in response to what it described as 'the aggressive escalation of Iranian intelligence agencies'.