Michael Freeman, Israel’s ambassador to Nigeria, has charged that the Iranian government is supporting and funding Islamic movements in Nigeria as part of a larger effort to spread terrorism around the world. In an interview with AriseTV on Friday, Freeman made the accusation, naming the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), commonly referred to as the Shi’ites, as one of the organizations funded by Iran.
“We know there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, that is sponsored and backed by the Iranian regime,” he said.
The ambassador described Iran’s decades-long animosity toward Israel and the West as a persistent, state-directed terror campaign and claimed that Tehran’s influence goes well beyond Nigeria.
“For 47 years, Iran has had a policy of death to Israel, death to America. Its entire apparatus, its state structure, has been sponsoring terrorism, sponsoring organizations around the world to kill Israelis, Jews, to spread terror,” Freeman said, adding that “Nigeria has been on the receiving end of terrorism from Iran.”
Iran is “an international sponsor of terror,” according to Freeman, who also mentioned assaults connected to Tehran in Argentina, Bulgaria, the UK, Australia, and Nigeria, as well as Iran’s purported backing of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Freeman maintained that defensive military action is both morally required and justifiable.
“It is totally justified when a nation claims to want to destroy you and is working to develop a nuclear weapon. It’s not only morally required, but also justified,” he stated. Referencing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to collaborate with Abuja on security issues, Freeman also indicated Israel’s readiness to assist Nigeria in limiting any terror spillover.
Mahdavi Raja, Iran’s ambassador to Nigeria, justified Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US military installations in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait on Thursday, stating that the move was within Iran’s rights.
