Iran firmly denies Western allegations of targeting dissidents abroad, calling them unfounded and politically motivated.

On Friday, Iran rejected accusations made by the United States and several of its Western allies, who claim Tehran is conducting a policy of targeted assassinations and kidnappings against dissidents, journalists, and former officials abroad.

In an official statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated that these accusations are “baseless” and merely an attempt to “divert global attention from the real humanitarian crisis — the genocide in occupied Palestine,” referring to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

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A Joint Western Condemnation

On Thursday evening, the United States and 13 allied Western nations — including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands — issued a joint statement condemning what they describe as Iran’s transnational strategy of intimidation, abduction, and targeted killing across Europe and North America.

“We are united in opposing the Iranian intelligence services’ attempts to kill, kidnap, or intimidate individuals on our soil,” the statement read.

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The signatories also accused Iran of increasingly collaborating with international criminal networks to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and both current and former officials.

Tehran’s Response: A Political Campaign

According to Esmail Baghaei, these accusations are part of a “malicious campaign” aimed at weakening Iran’s geopolitical position and pressuring the Iranian people. He described the allegations as “blatant slander”, accusing Western governments of manipulating the narrative to distract from their own involvement in global crises.

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