France Blocks Assets Belonging to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence

According to Reuters, the French government announced on Tuesday that it has blocked assets belonging to Iran's intelligence services and two Iranian citizens in response to a "plot to attack a Mujahideen-e Khalq conference" in June. France had previously arrested an Iranian diplomat and two others in this regard and warned Tehran to expect "a strong response". According to the Associated Press, the blocked assets belong to the internal security section of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and one of the diplomats suspected of involvement in the "attack plot". In this context, the French ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Economy issued an unprecedented joint statement, referring to the "attack plot" against the Mujahideen-e Khalq conference on French soil, stating that "this action is extremely serious and cannot go unanswered." The statement also noted: "By making such a decision, France emphasizes its determination to fight against terrorism in all its forms, especially on its own soil." The "National Council of Resistance" conference, which is said to have had the "attack plot" thwarted, was held on July 9 in the suburbs of Paris, with over 25,000 participants according to the Mujahideen-e Khalq organization. Among the speakers at this event was Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York and a close associate of U.S. President Donald Trump. Reuters reported that a French diplomatic source stated on Tuesday that "without a doubt" the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, controlled by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered this "failed attack" in June in Paris. This source said: "Behind all these actions is a long, detailed investigation conducted by our intelligence services that led us to conclude that without any doubt, the Ministry of Intelligence [of Iran] is responsible." The source added that Saeed Hashemi Moghadam, deputy minister and head of the intelligence section, ordered this attack. Six people were arrested in connection with this "attack plot" in Belgium, France, and Germany, with two of them later reported to have been released. The arrests of members of a group allegedly intending to bomb this conference occurred after the Mossad provided sensitive information to French, German, and Belgian authorities. On Monday, it was also announced that a court in Germany approved the extradition of an Iranian diplomat accused of involvement in planning the attack on the Mujahideen-e Khalq gathering in Paris. This diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, worked at the Iranian embassy in Vienna and was arrested in early July for a joint investigation in Germany, Belgium, and France in Bavaria, Germany. According to the court's statement, he cannot claim diplomatic immunity as he was outside his country of service (Austria) and on leave. Shortly after Assadi's arrest in Germany, the Austrian government formally requested Tehran to revoke this diplomat's diplomatic immunity. Assadi is accused of commissioning an "explosive attack" on the Mujahideen-e Khalq conference to a couple residing in Antwerp, Belgium, who have also been arrested. The recent joint statement from the three French ministries mentions another Iranian suspect involved in this "plot," Saeed Hashemi Moghadam, but his role in the "plot" is not specified. The statement quotes Bruno Le Maire, France's Minister of Economy, who said: "We must cut off the funding channels for terrorists to put an end to their intolerable activities." He did not provide details about the location and nature of these assets. Some French newspapers have linked this action to a police operation on Tuesday against a Shia association in northern France. About 200 police officers conducted operations to inspect 12 buildings of a Shia group called "Zahra Association of France" in northern France and arrested several individuals.