Statement by the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Copenhagen in Response to Western Countries’ Accusations Against Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran vehemently rejects the unfounded and politically motivated accusations made by certain nations regarding alleged involvement in extraterritorial activities targeting dissidents, journalists, or officials. These claims are entirely false, lack any credible evidence, and appear to be part of a deliberate smear campaign aimed at tarnishing our nation’s reputation.

The Islamic Republic of Iran adheres strictly to international law, respects the sovereignty of all nations, and upholds the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. We categorically deny any involvement in the alleged activities and demand that those making such accusations provide verifiable proof rather than relying on baseless speculation.

Furthermore, it is deeply concerning that some nations leveling these accusations have, for years, provided safe haven to terrorist elements and criminal organizations that actively plot and carry out violent acts against Iran.

We call attention to Denmark’s own judicial record regarding the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA) terrorist group, whose members have been prosecuted and imprisoned for their crimes against Danish interests. Danish authorities themselves have documented the group’s involvement in orchestrating terrorist activities inside Iran—including the September 2018 Ahvaz military parade massacre, which brutally murdered innocent civilians and military personnel.

Yet, despite these proven ties to terrorism in Iran, Danish prosecutors did not demand sentencing for the Ahvaz attack and other atrocities committed by ASMLA on Iranian soil. This selective prosecution raises serious questions: Why has Denmark refused to hold these terrorists accountable for their crimes against the Iranian people? Why do Danish authorities continue to ignore Iran’s repeated requests for full legal cooperation against this violent group? Danish authorities are also reminded that it was the timely intervention of an individual that thwarted the assassination attempt on the Iranian Ambassador in the Embassy courtyard in Copenhagen, with the assailant’s knife mere inches from the Ambassador’s heart.

Meanwhile, Albania, another country on the list, persists in its disgraceful role as a safe haven for the notorious Mujahedin-e Khalq (MKO) terrorist organization. This group, composed of remnants from the disbanded Camp Ashraf in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, enjoys full political and logistical support from its American and European patrons to engage in subversive activities inside Iran and wage hybrid warfare against the country. Operating a vast disinformation network, the MKO systematically spreads anti-Iranian propaganda through armies of bots and fake social media accounts from Albanian soil. 

The historical record is unequivocal: the MKO bears responsibility for the murder of nearly 17,000 Iranian civilians during its terror campaigns in the 1980s. While Western nations once properly designated this bloodstained organization as terrorist, they cynically removed this designation in the early 2000s - not because the MKO had reformed, but precisely to facilitate its fundraising and operational activities. This calculated decision transformed the MKO into a mercenary force serving the interests of Iran's adversaries in their ongoing assassinations and sabotage activities inside Iran.

Shockingly, this designated terrorist organization continues to operate openly in the heart of Europe, holding its annual conference in Paris with full impunity. The event serves as a grotesque showcase of hypocrisy in the claim to fight global terror as evidenced in the systematic transportation to France of hundreds of MKO operatives, with some flown in from global locations and others bussed in from across Europe, as well as current and former high-ranking U.S. and European officials shamelessly appearing as paid speakers.

The freedom granted to terrorist groups to operate openly on European soil exposes not merely double standards, but active complicity in sustaining terrorist networks when it suits political agendas. While Iran remains committed to combating terrorism, our security forces are currently engaged in confronting multiple terrorist organizations backed by Iran’s adversaries—including the MKO, ASMLA, and Jaish al-Adl—the latter of which just days ago launched a brutal attack on a courthouse in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, martyring three security personnel and several innocent civilians.

It is one thing to harbor and enable terrorists—groups with documented blood on their hands— to engage in violent crimes and wage hybrid warfare against a sovereign state, and another to resort to generalities in leveling baseless accusations against the same state without a shred of verifiable evidence.