22 Countries Issue Joint Warning to Iran

Twenty-two countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and several European allies, issued a joint statement on Thursday urging Iran to immediately stop alleged overseas attacks, intimidation campaigns and assassination plots. The statement accused Iranian security agencies of using local and international criminal networks to target dissidents, journalists and Jewish and Israeli communities across Europe, North America and Australia.

Allegations Against Iranian Agencies

The countries said attempts to kill, kidnap, harass or intimidate people on foreign soil undermine national sovereignty and international norms. The statement specifically accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence services and the Quds Force of involvement in lethal plotting and malign actions beyond Iran’s borders. It also linked Tehran to attacks claimed by Harakat Ashab al Yamin al Islamiya, known as HAYI, against Jewish communities, Iranian journalists and US journalists.

Attacks Cited in Europe and Australia

According to the statement, HAYI claimed responsibility for incidents in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands, including the stabbing of two Jewish men and arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in north London. Australia was also among the signatories and had previously accused Tehran of directing attacks on a synagogue in Melbourne and a kosher cafe in Sydney. Canberra later expelled Iran’s ambassador, withdrew its own envoy and suspended embassy operations.

Signatories Demand Immediate Halt

Australia designated the Revolutionary Guards as a state sponsor of terrorism in November, describing the alleged incidents as unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression by a foreign nation. Iran rejected the move at the time, calling it unjustified. The joint statement was signed by Albania, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United States.