• Super Admin
• 06 Mar, 2026

Freeman made the remarks during an interview with ARISE News on Friday, where he warned that Iran's influence in the region includes support for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria popularly known as Shiites. The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has accused Iran of actively spreading terrorism in Nigeria, alleging that Tehran is backing extremist groups and attempting to destabilise parts of West Africa. Freeman made the remarks during an interview with ARISE News on Friday, where he warned that Iran's influence in the region includes support for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria popularly known as Shiites. According to the envoy, Iran's global activities linked to terrorism have long been documented and now extend into several African countries. "We know that there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, which is sponsored and backed by the Iranian regime," Freeman said. "And this is not me saying this we've seen that documented by the Iranian regime itself. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, posted on X, his support and his backing. So that's very open. There are other areas as well that Iran is working to destabilise, not only Nigeria, but all of West Africa." Freeman also addressed broader concerns about Iran's military ambitions, describing the ongoing tensions in the Middle East as a defensive response by Israel to threats posed by Tehran. He argued that Iran's nuclear programme, ballistic missile development and long-standing hostility toward Israel justify the country's actions. "For 47 years, Iran has had a policy of 'death to Israel, death to America,'" he said. "Its entire state structure has been sponsoring terrorism, sponsoring organisations around the world to kill Israelis, to kill Jews, to spread terror." "We've seen Iran spreading terror, developing a ballistic missile programme and a nuclear programme. When a country says it wants to destroy you and they are trying to build a nuclear weapon, it's absolutely justified indeed, it is a moral obligation to take the action needed to stop a country, in this case Iran, who wants to destroy Israel." The ambassador also responded to criticisms regarding Israel's own alleged nuclear capabilities, stressing that the focus should remain on Iran's threats. "Israel has never said that we have nuclear weapons. That's your statement," Freeman said. "Israel's policy has always been that we won't be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons into the region. But the issue here is not about Israel." "The issue here is Iran. Iran is the only country in the world, in the United Nations, which expressly desires to wipe another country off the face of the earth. Iran has stated its policy is to destroy Israel, to wipe Israel off the map, and to kill every single person." Freeman further alleged that Iran has been involved in terrorist activities across several regions, citing incidents in Europe, South America and other parts of the world. "We've seen them acting in Nigeria. We've seen these people acting all across the world in order to spread disturbance and carry out their aim of destroying Israel," he said. His comments come amid Iran's ongoing war with Israel and the United States. SaharaReporters also reported protests by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria following the killing of Ali Khamenei, now former Supreme Leader of Iran. The United States Embassy in Abuja shut down till next week Monday, citing fears of protests in Abuja. Source: https://saharareporters.com/2026/03/06/israeli-envoy-says-iran-spreading-terrorism-nigeria-backing-islamic-movement-shiites