Denmark to push for EU action over Iranian hit squad
▶ Danes revealed details of alleged attempt to kill separatist leaders
Denmark will push for EU sanctions against Iran after a regime-orchestrated plot to assassinate separatist leaders on Danish soil.
Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen called the plot against three Iranian leaders from the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz “totally unacceptable” and recalled the country’s ambassador to Tehran.
“In light of the latest development, Denmark will now push for a discussion in the EU on the need for further sanctions against Iran,” Mr Samuelsen said.
The call for concerted action comes at a sensitive time as EU leaders try to salvage the nuclear deal with Iran, which was dumped by US President Donald Trump.
The American leader is preparing to reimpose sanctions against Iran next week.
On Tuesday, Danish intelligence revealed details of the Iranian operation, which was thought to be retaliation for a bomb attack on a military parade that killed 25 people in the Iranian city of Ahvaz last month.
Iran blames the separatist group for the bomb.
The group seeks a separate state for ethnic Arabs in Iran’s south-west province of Khuzestan but is considered a terrorist group by Tehran. It denied involvement in the Ahvaz parade attack.
Police shut down Copenhagen in late September to thwart the plot by Iranian intelligence to kill the Danish leader of the separatist group.
A Norwegian national of Iranian descent was arrested on October 21 in neighbouring Sweden and was extradited to Denmark.
“We congratulate the government of Denmark on its arrest of an Iranian regime assassin,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. “We call on our allies and partners to confront the full range of Iran’s threats to peace and security.”
Finn Borch Andersen, head of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, said the arrested Norwegian had denied charges of helping a foreign intelligence service to plot an assassination in Denmark.
The suspect was seen taking photographs of where members of the separatist group lived in Ringsted, about 65 kilometres south-west of Copenhagen.
The Danish announcement came after the French authorities accused Iran’s intelligence services of being behind a plot to bomb a rally of Iranian opposition groups in Paris in June.
A Belgian couple of Iranian origin were arrested in connection with that scheme. They were found carrying explosives in their car.
German police also arrested an Iranian diplomat who was based in Austria. Assadollah Assadi was extradited to stand trial in Belgium.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi dismissed Denmark’s claims.
“This is a continuation of enemies’ plots to damage Iranian relations with Europe at this critical time,” he told Tasnim news agency.
Denmark will now push for a discussion in the European Union on the need for further sanctions against Iran ANDERS SAMUELSON Danish Foreign Minister