A US-based advocacy group on Thursday called on Washington and its European allies to confront Iran’s transnational repression by issuing a credible military threat, a week after they accused Tehran of plotting to kill individuals in Europe and the US.
"In the past few months, the regime has been escalating its efforts to target civilians in Europe and North America, not least those from within the Iranian diaspora and Jewish community," United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) said in a statement.
"These acts of transnational repression, which are a flagrant violation of Europe and North America’s territorial sovereignty, must be met with severe consequences," UANI Chairman Governor Jeb Bush and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace said.
On July 31, the United States and thirteen allied countries accused Iran of plotting to kill, kidnap and intimidate individuals in Europe and North America, citing violations of sovereignty and links to international criminal networks.
“These services are increasingly collaborating with international criminal organizations to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials,” the US State Department said in a joint statement with European countries.
The UANI statement applauded the US and its European allies for condemning what it called the Islamic Republic's "continuous acts of transnational repression on Western soil."
However, Bush and Wallace stressed that such statements "need to be paired with a diplomatic isolation campaign, sanctions, and the credible threat of targeted military force."
"These cases cannot be handled solely as law enforcement matters where once the authorities thwart the terror plots, the situation is brushed under the rug. This only emboldens the Islamic Republic’s terrorism as it will calculate the benefits outweigh the costs."
The UANI statement urged Western governments to “be on heightened alert for terror plots targeting Jewish communities as well as the Iranian diaspora,” citing explicit death threats from Iran’s intelligence ministry against 45 Iran International journalists.
"It is time to hold #Iran's regime accountable for transnational repression. Just today the regime threatened to execute @IranIntl journalists and their families. It's unacceptable," former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said in a post on X.
Iran International on Tuesday filed an urgent appeal with United Nations experts urging them to take action against Tehran over serious risks to the lives and safety of their journalists worldwide and relatives inside Iran.
Over the past six weeks, the Iranian authorities have intimidated and threatened 45 journalists and 315 of their family members with death unless they stop working for Iran International by specific deadlines, Iran International said in a statement.
Since its formation in 2017, Iran International journalists have been targeted by the Iranian authorities for their reporting. However, since the start of a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in mid-June, the situation has deteriorated rapidly and there is now a real risk to the lives of multiple Iran International staff and to their family members.
