In a rare show of unified resolve, 14 Western nations—including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada—issued a joint statement on July 31 condemning Iran for a pattern of transnational repression and criminal activity carried out through its intelligence agencies.
The statement, signed by Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, strongly denounced what they describe as Iran’s “growing number of state threats” aimed at individuals residing in Europe and North America.
According to the declaration, Iranian intelligence services have increasingly collaborated with international criminal networks to target a wide range of individuals—including journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and both current and former officials. These actions, which reportedly involve plots to kill, kidnap, and intimidate, were characterized as blatant violations of national sovereignty and international law.
“We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America,” the statement read. “This is unacceptable.”
The countries pledged coordinated efforts to disrupt and prevent such activities and urged the Islamic Republic to immediately cease its covert campaigns.
The Iranian Academic Association welcomed the joint stance, urging further multilateral measures to address what it called Iran’s escalating campaign of violent repression beyond its borders.
“Iran’s intelligence and security forces have long relied on a strategy of transnational violence to silence dissent, instill fear among diaspora communities, and gain leverage through hostage diplomacy,” IAA said. “Only coordinated international action—with real political and economic consequences—can compel the regime to halt these illegal activities.”
The Iranian regime has faced mounting international scrutiny for engaging in operations that include assassination plots, the abduction of dual and foreign nationals, and systematic harassment of activists and opposition figures abroad. These actions are often used as leverage to extract concessions from Western governments.
The 14 governments behind the statement reaffirmed their commitment to defending their citizens and upholding international norms, calling Iran’s behavior an ongoing threat to global security and diplomatic integrity.