Iran, Netherlands, Denmark, and Arab Separatists

The presence of some separatist groups composed of Arab Iranians in the Netherlands and Denmark has caused tensions in Iran's relations with these two countries for years, but in recent weeks, the dimensions and scope of these tensions have increased. On October 30, Denmark accused Iran's Ministry of Intelligence of attempting to assassinate members of the 'Ahvaz Movement' on Danish soil, and subsequently, on January 7, the Danish Foreign Minister announced that the European Union had agreed to impose sanctions on one of Iran's intelligence agencies due to 'planning assassinations on European soil.' The Danish Security Service stated that a Norwegian citizen of Iranian descent, who was taking photos of members of the 'Ahvaz Liberation Movement' in Ringsted, 60 kilometers southwest of Copenhagen, was a collaborator of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, leading to temporary border closures with Germany and Sweden. On the same day, the Netherlands accused the Islamic Republic of being involved in the planning of two assassinations on its territory, one of which involved the murder of an Iranian citizen named Ahmad Mola Abunahd, known as Ahmad Neysi, a founder of the 'Ahvaz Liberation Movement,' who was killed on November 8 of last year in front of his residence in The Hague. In response to these accusations and the announcement of new sanctions, Iran announced a 'review of its intelligence and security cooperation' with EU member states and 'reciprocal actions' against Europe. The group known as the 'Ahvaz Movement' has frequently made headlines in Denmark and the Netherlands, including an incident on November 7 when the Danish police announced the arrest of three members of this group for 'praising' a deadly attack in Ahvaz last September, who were later released. On January 9, a group of about eight 'Ahvazi' activists attempted to climb the entrance of the Iranian embassy in The Hague by throwing objects, resulting in the arrest of four by Dutch police. But who are these groups, and what is their history in the Netherlands and Denmark? The political groups active among Arab Iranians or those advocating for the separation of southwestern Iran have several factions and branches that refer to a region called 'Ahvaz.' They claim that 'Ahvaz' is a region that extends from around Bandar Abbas to Fars Province and the borders of Isfahan, including areas such as Lorestan, Ilam, Khuzestan, Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh, and they state that the inhabitants of these areas are or were 'Arabs.' These groups declare the population of 'Ahvaz' to be 8 million and have published maps of this 'region,' displaying them in interviews on Dutch and Danish television networks. Among the various groups, two can be mentioned that have undertaken multiple operations and which the Islamic Republic of Iran refers to as terrorist groups. These two groups are known as the 'Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz' and the 'Ahvaz Liberation Organization.' The 'Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz' is one of these groups, which is attributed with carrying out 13 bombings in Khuzestan Province in 2005. It was founded by Habib Nabgan, known as Habib Jabr, in 1999 along with his cousin Ahmad Mola Abunahd, known as Ahmad Mola Neysi, and several others. This group remained semi-secret until 2005. The military branch of this group, known as Mohi al-Din al-Nasser, began its activities in mid-1997. The group's stated goal is the 'liberation of Khuzestan, Bushehr, Hormozgan, and the islands of the Persian Gulf,' and it believes in armed struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran, claiming responsibility for several attacks on police stations, including one in Hamidiyeh in April 2015. Ahmad Mola Neysi, who had lived in Shushtar for a time, had been living in the Netherlands since 2005 under political asylum until he was killed on November 8 of last year in front of his home in The Hague. The 'Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz' split in 2015 into two branches in Denmark and the Netherlands, with Ahmad Mola Neysi being the leader of the group in the Netherlands. Another group mentioned in Dutch media is a separatist group called the 'Ahvaz Liberation Organization' (al-Munazzama al-Arabiyya li-Tahrir al-Ahvaz) or (Miad), founded by Falah Nikosrasht (under the alias Falah Abdullah al-Mansouri). This group operates in the Netherlands, Canada, and Syria and has been responsible for several armed attacks, bombings, and assassinations in Khuzestan in recent years, according to Iranian media. According to the Dutch newspaper N.R.S., Falah Mansouri is a former officer in the Iranian army who sought asylum with Saddam Hussein's regime in 1987 during the Iran-Iraq war and was later transferred to Maastricht, Netherlands, as a refugee. After fleeing Iran and seeking asylum in the Netherlands, he frequently traveled to Iraq and maintained good relations with the Ba'ath Party until Saddam's fall. After the U.S. invasion of Iraq, he continued to communicate with his associates in Iran through Syria. At one point in the Netherlands, he received a royal honor from the Queen of the Netherlands for his cooperation with Amnesty International, one of the highest honors in the country. Abdullah al-Mansouri has also been accused of involvement in the 2005 bombings in Ahvaz that resulted in the deaths of 20 people and injuries to 200 others. Falah Abdullah al-Mansouri was arrested in 2006 in Syria near the Iraqi border along with seven others and was handed over to the Iranian government five days later, according to the then-spokesman for the Dutch Foreign Ministry. He had traveled to Syria to meet with individuals in the region. Initially sentenced to death in Iran, his sentence was later reduced to 15 years in prison. On November 6, 2007, Abbas Araqchi, the deputy of Iran's then-Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, made a brief, unannounced visit to the Netherlands to meet behind closed doors with parliament representatives and update them on Mansouri's situation. Dutch officials emphasized their desire for a transparent judicial process in accordance with international laws for Falah Mansouri. Later, following political pressure from the Netherlands, news of Mansouri's release and return to the Netherlands emerged. During Mansouri's detention in Iran, his son, Adnan Mansouri, frequently appeared on Dutch television programs, claiming that his life was also in danger and that he had to constantly change his residence. Adnan Mansouri claimed in these programs that the Arab minority in Iran 'does not even have the right to wear traditional clothing or give their children Arabic names' and added that 'Iran deliberately spreads AIDS in Khuzestan and is engaged in the massacre of local people.' (Report from the Dutch news site 'No Dot NL' on Adnan Mansouri's statements, November 4, 2007). The actions attributed to the two aforementioned groups include bombings, pipeline destruction, and attacks on Basij bases, which, according to Iranian media, have caused not only human casualties but also significant financial damages.