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Iran summons Dutch ambassador amid assassination claims

12:20

The Iranian embassy in The Hague has summoned the Dutch ambassador in Tehran following the publication of the Dutch security service's annual report, which suggests that Iran is "likely" responsible for two attempted murders—one in the Netherlands and another in Spain.

Emiel de Bont, the Dutch ambassador, was informed by Alireza Yousefi, the director-general for Western Europe at the Iranian foreign ministry, that the allegations regarding Iran's involvement in these assassination plots are "baseless and unacceptable," as reported by the Iranian news agency IRNA.

Yousefi further urged the Netherlands to cease its "comprehensive support for the Israeli regime" and to take a constructive role in the developments occurring in West Asia, according to IRNA.

On Friday morning, the Iranian embassy issued a strongly worded statement denouncing the claims as "baseless" and characterizing them as an attempt by certain individuals to present themselves as being under pressure, as reported by IRNA.

The claims made by the AIVD represent the first occasion in years that Dutch authorities have publicly accused another nation of orchestrating a targeted attack on Dutch soil, as highlighted by broadcaster NOS.

The case in Haarlem involved Iranian activist Siamak Tahmasbi, who encountered two men scaling his balcony in the middle of the night. These individuals were in communication with a third person, who appeared to be orchestrating the operation from afar.

According to the AIVD, two of the suspects are already known to police through criminal networks and are wanted in connection with a failed murder attempt in Madrid in late 2023. This earlier case involved former Spanish politician and vocal critic of Iran, Alejo Vidal-Quadras.

Notably, a similar accusation was made in 2019, when the Netherlands expelled two Iranian diplomats in response to the killings of dissidents.

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