OTTAWA, ON – In a significant security alert, Canada’s spy agency has warned that threats from Iran’s theocratic regime could intensify this year, with a particular emphasis on Tehran’s use of criminal organizations to target critics within Canada.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) confirmed to The Globe and Mail that it is actively investigating death threats in Canada orchestrated by the Islamic Republic. The agency cautioned that the severity of these threats could escalate, depending on developments in the Middle East.
This warning comes amid a recent surge in intimidation tactics against journalists working for Iran International, a London-based Persian news outlet. According to the network, two of its Canada-based journalists have been targeted, with one repeatedly told they would be abducted, placed in a bag, and smuggled out of the country if they didn’t cease their reporting.
In a formal statement, CSIS spokesperson Magali Hébert addressed the situation, saying, “CSIS continues to investigate threats to life emanating from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Given the need to protect our sources, tradecraft, and methods however, we cannot confirm or deny specific investigative details.”
CSIS’s assessment indicates that Iran will continue to use proxies, such as individuals involved with transnational organized crime networks, to target perceived enemies living in foreign countries, including Canada. The statement added, “Iranian threat-related activities directed at Canada and its allies are likely to continue in 2025, and may increase depending on developments in the Middle East and the Iranian regime’s own threat perceptions.”
The escalation of threats against Iran International journalists and their families over the past six weeks coincided with a period of heightened tensions, including a U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear sites and an Israeli offensive that resulted in the deaths of several senior Iranian security officials and nuclear scientists.
The news outlet’s lawyers have since appealed to five experts at the United Nations to urgently intervene with the Iranian regime. The appeal seeks to protect the safety of journalists in seven countries – Canada, Britain, the U.S., Sweden, Germany, Turkey and Belgium. Carlos Nagore Diaz, a spokesperson for Irene Khan, the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, stated in an email that “several UN Special Rapporteurs are considering taking urgent action on the renewed credible threats to life,” though any communications with the Iranian regime remain confidential.
This is not the first time such concerns have been raised on an international stage. Last year, a group of UN rapporteurs, including Ms. Khan and Professor Ben Saul, the special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, sent a letter to Iran’s leaders. Their May 2024 correspondence alleged that the Islamic Republic of Iran was directly, and through proxies, menacing journalists working for Persian-language outlets abroad, including Iran International, as well as their family members in Iran.
The letter also noted that such acts and threats of violence “may amount to violations of the sovereignty of those states.” It detailed a specific incident in March of last year, where Iran International journalist Pouria Zeraati was stabbed in the legs by two assailants outside his home in London. Two Romanian nationals were later charged in connection with the attack
In its official response to the UN, Iran’s permanent representation rejected the “allegations made about the threats or kidnapping plans” and referred to Iran International and its employees as “agents.” The letter claimed, “To the Islamic Republic of Iran, this anti-Iranian Network and its operatives are terrorists, they will be dealt with according to the relevant laws and will be tried in a fair court, as the case against some agents of this network is being processed.”
Adam Baillie, a spokesman for Iran International, called the regime’s claims “ridiculous.” “The idea of there being such a thing as a fair trial in Iran under the current regime is an absurdity,” he said. “We are journalists doing our job and we should be doing it from within Iran itself.” He added, “Furthermore you should not underestimate the level of threat, both in scale and nature, to journalists working for our channel, including in Canada.”
The use of proxies for foreign interference is not a new issue in Canada. An alleged plot by agents of Iran to assassinate former justice minister Irwin Cotler was foiled by the RCMP last year. Cotler, who founded the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and has been a vocal critic of the regime, remains on Iran’s hit list and is under 24-hour police protection.
Last week, Canada joined a coalition of countries – including Britain, the U.S., France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark – in publicly condemning a growing number of threats from Iranian intelligence services on their soil. The joint statement, issued by the British foreign office, highlighted a disturbing trend of Iranian intelligence operatives increasingly collaborating with international criminal organizations to target journalists, dissidents, and others.
