UANI Applauds Germany for Arresting Iranian Diplomat Responsible for Paris Terror Plot, Calls for Action from the EU

July 13, 2018 press@uani.com UANI Applauds Germany for Arresting Iranian Diplomat Responsible for Paris Terror Plot, Calls for Action from the EU Iranian Diplomat Charged with Activity As a Foreign Agent and Conspiracy to Commit Murder New York, NY - United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman and former U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman today welcomed the decision by German federal prosecutors to charge Iranian diplomat Asadollah Assadi with activity as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit murder, following his alleged involvement in the failed plot to bomb a gathering of Iranian opposition groups in Paris.  "We applaud the decision by German federal prosecutors to charge Asadollah Assadi for his role in the failed plot to explode a bomb at a gathering of Iranian opposition groups in Paris on June 30 that included a number of former U.S. officials. Despite this welcome news, further action is warranted, as this alleged plot follows a well-established Iranian pattern of murdering its detractors. Until the full scope of terrorist activity associated with the Iranian diplomatic apparatus is uncovered, the European Union (EU) should either close the Iranian embassy in Brussels, which houses its ambassador to Belgium, the EU and Luxembourg, or take appropriate measures to reduce embassy staff," Senator Lieberman said.  Iran has a long history of utilizing diplomatic posts as cover for nefarious purposes. UANI research shows that since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the regime in Tehran has spread its ideology through terrorism and subversion disguised as diplomacy. At a 1982 conference in Tehran, former Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Javad Mansouri proclaimed, "Our revolution can only be exported with grenades and explosives." In the same speech, Mansouri called upon the nation to transform every Iranian embassy into an intelligence center and a base to export the revolution. The regime adopted Mansouri's strategy, and as a result, Iran's embassies in host countries typically have more staff than necessary, indicating an effort to conceal large numbers of intelligence agents and IRGC operatives. Given the Iranian regime's history of using diplomacy as cover for terrorism and ideological expansion, UANI believes that the European Union should take action to stem any further violence even as the investigation into the Paris terror plot continues. Historically, reductions in embassy staff have been requested during periods of conflict. For example, during the Cold War, the U.S. government ordered the Soviet Union to reduce its staff at the United Nations mission in New York City in 1986. When the Soviets refused, the U.S. government submitted the names of 25 mission diplomats to be expelled. That same year, a "diplomat with the Iranian Mission to the United Nations (UN) [was] ordered out of the United States after being accused of conducting illegal activities against 'American security interests,'" according to The New York Times. In 2004, two security guards at Iran's UN mission were seen filming and photographing the New York transportation system and landmark buildings in the city, leading the U.S. to expel them from the country.  Further, European nations have taken previous, similar action. In 2011, the United Kingdom closed the Iranian embassy and expelled all its diplomats after the storming of the British embassy in Tehran. Following the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy, in 2018 the United Kingdom expelled 23 Russian diplomats, which was followed by similar actions from the EU itself along with France, Germany and other countries. The EU should take unified and impactful action in the wake of the outrageous failed Paris bombing plot. To learn more about UANI's new resource about Iran's ideological expansion, please visit here. ### For media inquiries, please contact press@uani.com. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.