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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran's Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned the United States and other Western nations that issued a joint statement accusing Tehran of a "kill, kidnap" policy abroad.
'The US, France, and other signatories of the anti-Iran statement, as supporters and hosts of violent and terrorist elements and groups, must be held accountable for their violations of international law in supporting terrorism,' Esmail Baghaei, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a statement.
A day earlier, 14 European nations plus the US and Canada issued a joint statement accusing Iran's intelligence services of pursuing a 'kill, kidnap' policy within their borders.
'We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty,' the statement said, accusing Iran's intelligence agencies of collaborating with 'international criminal organizations to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials in Europe and North America. This is unacceptable.'
Baghaei dismissed the allegations as 'baseless' and an attempt to divert attention from what he described as the ongoing genocide in Palestine. He said the countries that signed the statement should be 'held accountable for their inappropriate and irresponsible conduct.'
Tehran is accused of being behind a wave of attempted abductions and assassinations in Europe and North America, targeting Iranian dissidents and critics.
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