22 countries accuse Iran of state-sponsored attacks in joint statement
The coalition said Iran’s security services had used international and local criminal networks to carry out what the statement called “deplorable” actions including killings, kidnappings, harassment and intimidation
Twenty-two countries including the United States, Canada and a range of European and Oceanian states said on Wednesday they had issued a joint statement calling on Iran to immediately halt what they described as state-sponsored attacks and plots on their sovereign territory.
The coalition said Iran's security services had used international and local criminal networks to carry out what the statement called "deplorable" actions including killings, kidnappings, harassment and intimidation, says the Strait Times.
The statement specifically named the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its intelligence branches and the Quds Force, accusing them of "lethal plotting and malign actions".
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The countries said the alleged operations had targeted Iranian dissidents and journalists, Jewish and Israeli communities and related interests, as well as US journalists.
They also linked Iran to a series of attacks in Europe claimed by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al Yamin al Islamiya (HAYI), or "The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand".
According to the statement, in the United Kingdom, HAYI claimed responsibility for stabbing two Jewish men and carrying out arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in north London. Following the incidents, King Charles visited the affected area.
In Australia, the coalition said Iran was accused in 2025 of directing an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue and the burning of a kosher café in Sydney.
In Europe, Belgium deployed soldiers to reinforce security at Jewish sites in response to the threat environment described in the statement.
The statement also referred to heightened diplomatic tensions involving Australia in late 2025, including the expulsion of Iran's ambassador, the withdrawal of its own ambassador from Tehran, and the suspension of embassy operations in Iran. Australia also designated the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism, calling the attacks "unprecedented and dangerous acts of aggression".
Iran's foreign ministry responded by describing these measures as "insulting and unjustified".
The 22 signatory countries were Albania, Australia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United States.
