The foreign ministers of 29 countries, led by the UK, released a joint statement on Monday condemning Iranian hybrid attacks and state-sponsored violence outside of its own borders, including arson, cyberattacks, and sabotage plots.
“Any attempt by Iran to threaten, silence, intimidate, harass, harm, or coerce people on our territories through proxies or any other means is unacceptable,” the statement read. “Iran should be in no doubt that we are united and remain committed to safeguarding our sovereignty and strengthening our international coordination.”
The statement included a joint recognition of UK assertions that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were responsible for an attempted bomb plot that targeted the RAF Fairford air base.
It cited the RAF Fairford incident as a demonstration of “the IRGC’s continued willingness to project hostile activity beyond its borders through covert networks and proxy actors.”
The joint statement noted that the condemnation was issued following a spate of attacks on Jewish communities, Iranian journalists, and US interests across Europe that were claimed by suspected Iranian proxy terror group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI).
Other countries that participated in the condemnation included the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
UK sanctions Iranian nationals for involvement in IRGC plots
In addition to releasing the joint statement, the UK summoned the country’s Iranian ambassador and imposed sanctions on two Iranian nationals accused of facilitating hostile activity on behalf of Tehran.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband’s office stated that an immediate asset freeze and travel ban would be imposed upon Ruhollah Bazgh and Shahram Ali Reza Tamarzadeh Jakki.
Bazgh is the Head of Counterespionage Operations within the IRGC, and Jakki is involved in the Zindashti criminal network and the plotting of attacks against Iranian dissidents.
“Iran’s continued attempts to undermine the security of the United Kingdom and international partners through its criminal networks, proxy groups and state-backed malign activity is unacceptable,” Miliband emphasized in a statement regarding the sanctions.