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In a major diplomatic rebuke, a coalition of 22 nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and several European and Pacific partners, issued a joint statement on Wednesday, condemning Iran's "lethal plotting" and other subversive activities across Europe, North America, and Australia.
The statement explicitly named Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Intelligence Organisation (IRGC-IO), the Quds Force, and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security as the entities responsible for a series of hostile actions targeting Iranian dissidents, journalists, and Jewish and Israeli communities. The signatories, comprising Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, demanded an immediate cessation of these activities. "Attempts to kill, kidnap, harass, intimidate, or otherwise attack people on our soil undermine national sovereignty and international norms," the statement read. "These actions must stop immediately." The coalition highlighted a long-standing and deepening relationship between Iranian security services and international criminal groups. The signatory nations condemned the use of these criminal proxies as "deplorable," noting that such operations not only threaten individual lives but also strike at the heart of national sovereignty and established international norms. The joint declaration specifically condemned a recent campaign of attacks across Europe claimed by the group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), asserting that these operations were carried out with the direct support of Iranian intermediaries. The coalition further signalled that this collective condemnation is merely a starting point, confirming they are "together resolved to undertake further measures" to halt the Iranian regime's malign influence. This diplomatic push coincides with rising global tensions regarding Iran's foreign operations and its continued interference in international security, marking a significant hardening of the Western-led stance against Tehran's extraterritorial activities. The statement comes after US President Donald Trump reiterated his claim that the naval blockade implemented by them has been akin to a steel wall- nothing gets through it sans their nod. Trump, in his post on Truth Social, said without elaborating that Iran has taken long to negotiate a deal, and now they must pay the price, but did not elaborate. "The Fake News Media refuses to report how EFFECTIVE the U.S. Naval BLOCKADE is, the most successful Blockade in the history of Naval Warfare. NOTHING GETS THROUGH unless we want it to. IT IS A STEEL WALL! Iran is doing ZERO business, not paying their military, or any of their bills, and quickly becoming a FAILED NATION! Lots of oil is getting out. Praise be to Allah! President DONALD J. TRUMP." (ANI)
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