The United States and 13 NATO allies, along with Austria, have issued a joint warning accusing Iran of escalating cross-border threats, including attempted assassinations, kidnappings, and intimidation campaigns targeting dissidents, journalists, and public officials across Europe and North America.
“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 group said in a strongly worded joint statement released Thursday. “This is unacceptable.”
The statement warned that any such actions would be treated as violations of national sovereignty, and pledged coordinated efforts to detect and thwart Iranian plots. The signatories demanded that Tehran “immediately put an end to such illegal activities in our respective territories.”
The declaration was signed by the United States, Austria, and NATO members including Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, and others. Austria, the only non-NATO signatory, hosts the headquarters of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
While the joint statement did not cite specific incidents, it referenced longstanding concerns about Iran’s intelligence operations abroad. Western intelligence agencies have previously warned of Iranian-backed efforts to monitor and silence critics overseas, particularly those affiliated with opposition groups and media organisation.
In the United Kingdom, intelligence officials have raised repeated alarms about Tehran’s reach.
Three alleged Iranian spies are currently facing trial over claims they surveilled UK-based journalists working for a Farsi-language outlet critical of the Iranian government.
Earlier this month, a report by the British Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee described Iran as a “wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK.”
Elsewhere in Europe, German prosecutors recently revealed that a suspect—believed to be working for Iranian intelligence had been arrested in Denmark. The man was accused of collecting information on Jewish individuals and locations in Berlin, possibly in preparation for an attack.
Despite the intensifying threat landscape, the Trump administration earlier this year revoked government-funded security protections for several top officials from Trump’s first term. These included former national security adviser John Bolton, ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former Iran envoy Brian Hook all of whom had received protective details under the Biden administration due to credible Iranian threats.
The renewed transatlantic declaration comes amid wider diplomatic tensions with Iran, including standoffs over its nuclear program, support for militant groups across the Middle East, and deepening ties with authoritarian regimes. Western governments now face the added challenge of defending their citizens and institutions against covert Iranian activity on their own soil.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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