The United States, 13 NATO allies, and Austria have issued a unified warning accusing Iran of intensifying cross-border threats, including assassination attempts, kidnappings, and harassment campaigns targeting dissidents, journalists, and public officials throughout Europe and North America.
In a strongly worded joint statement released Thursday, the signatories declared: “We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America. This is unacceptable.”
The group warned that such actions constitute serious violations of national sovereignty and pledged to strengthen coordination to detect, prevent, and respond to Iranian operations. They called on Tehran to “immediately put an end to such illegal activities in our respective territories.”
Signatories to the declaration include the United States, Austria, and NATO members such as the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain. Austria’s inclusion is particularly notable, as it hosts the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
While the statement did not cite specific cases, it builds on a pattern of growing concern about Iran’s intelligence activities abroad. Western security agencies have repeatedly warned of Iranian-backed efforts to silence critics and monitor opposition figures living in exile.
In the UK, authorities are currently prosecuting three individuals accused of working on behalf of Iran to surveil journalists from a Farsi-language outlet critical of Tehran. British intelligence officials have classified Iran as a “persistent and unpredictable threat,” according to a recent report by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee.
Similar warnings have emerged in Germany, where prosecutors announced the arrest of a suspect allegedly linked to Iranian intelligence. The man reportedly gathered intelligence on Jewish individuals and sites in Berlin, raising fears of a possible planned attack.
The threat of Iranian retaliation has remained a concern for former U.S. officials as well. Earlier this year, the Trump administration ended government-funded security protection for several figures—including former National Security Advisor John Bolton, ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former Iran envoy Brian Hook—who had received protection under the Biden administration due to credible threats from Iran.
This joint transatlantic warning comes amid broader tensions with Tehran over its advancing nuclear program, support for armed proxies across the Middle East, and strategic alignment with authoritarian regimes. With the latest statement, Western nations are signaling a more coordinated and forceful response to Iranian covert activity targeting their citizens and democratic institutions abroad.
