Twenty-two countries, including Canada, condemn Iran for ‘lethal plotting and other malign actions’

A huge mural of former Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani is seen ahead of the sixth anniversary of his assassination, at Valiasr Square in Tehran, on Dec. 31, 2025. Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Article content

Twenty-two countries including the United States and European nations jointly warned Iran on Thursday to stop attacking people “on our soil.”

Article content

Iran’s security services were condemned for their “deplorable” use of international and local criminal gangs for plots in Europe, North America and Australia.

Article content

Article content

“Attempts to kill, kidnap, harass, intimidate, or otherwise attack people on our soil, undermines national sovereignty and international norms. These actions must stop immediately,” the countries said in a joint statement.

Article content

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence services and its foreign operations branch, the Quds Force, had engaged in “lethal plotting and malign actions” against Iranian dissidents, journalists and Jewish and Israeli communities and interests, they said.

Article content

“We stand united in our determination to protect our countries and our people against these threats. The Islamic Republic of Iran must halt these actions now.”

Article content

Article content

Article content

The countries also accused Iran of being behind a campaign of attacks across Europe targeting Jewish communities, Iranian journalists and U.S. journalists that were claimed by Iran-linked group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI).

Article content

Article content

The group, whose name means The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand, has claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Jewish communities in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Article content

HAYI reportedly said it was responsible for the stabbing of two Jewish men and a series of arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in north London over recent months.

Article content

Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador to Australia in August last year, accusing Tehran of directing at least two antisemitic attacks: an arson attack on a synagogue in Melbourne and the torching of a kosher cafe in Sydney.

Article content

Canberra also withdrew the Australian ambassador to Iran and suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran.

Article content

In November, Australia designated the Revolutionary Guards as a state sponsor of terrorism, describing its alleged attacks in Australia as “unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil”.

Article content

Article content

Iran’s foreign ministry said at the time Australia’s decision was an “insulting and unjustified act” that violated international rules and norms.

Article content

Article content

The statement was issued by Albania, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United States.

Article content

Article content