Washington [US], August 1 : The United States and 13 allied nations have strongly condemned what they called a growing number of "state threats" and illegal activities by Iranian intelligence agencies in Europe and North America.
In a joint statement released by the US Department of State on Thursday (local time), the governments said they are "united in opposition" to Iran's operations overseas, which reportedly include assassination plots, abductions, and coordinated harassment campaigns.
The statement accused Iranian intelligence services of targeting journalists, dissidents, and Jewish individuals on foreign soil, calling such actions violations of international norms and national sovereignty.
"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 joint statement said.
The statement further claimed that Iranian intelligence operatives are increasingly collaborating with international criminal networks to carry out these plots, a move the countries described as dangerous and unacceptable.
The allied nations stressed that such actions, regardless of the target, amount to direct violations of their national sovereignty and security.
"These services are increasingly collaborating with international criminal organisations to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials in Europe and North America. This is unacceptable."
The joint statement includes the US, the UK, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.
The allied nations called on the Iranian government to immediately cease these activities, warning that they would continue to coordinate efforts to prevent and disrupt such operations on their respective territories.