The US and Israel on Friday accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israel's ambassador to Mexico, Einat Kranz Neiger.

Israel said Mexican authorities intervened to foil the alleged plot.

"We thank the security and law enforcement services in Mexico for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran that sought to attack Israel's ambassador in Mexico," a statement from Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.

Iran's embassy in Mexico rejected these claims, calling them "a great big lie."

"It is a media invention, a great big lie, whose objective is to damage the friendly and historic relations between both countries (Mexico and Iran), which we categorically reject," the Iranian embassy in Mexico posted to X. 

US says threat contained

News agencies, including AFP and Reuters, cited an anonymous US official as saying that the plot was initiated in late 2024 by the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).

The US official said the plot had been "contained" and that there was no longer any threat.

Iran and Israel are bitter regional adversaries and have waged a proxy conflict spanning multiple decades.

A 12-day conflict between the two countries earlier this year ended in a ceasefire on June 25.

Iran has traditionally backed Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Lebanon's Hezbollah and the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, all of which have engaged in conflict with Israel.

Western states accuse Iran of plotting attacks, espionage

The US and its allies have frequently alleged that Iran and its proxies plot attacks and spying operations in Western countries.

In July, a Danish citizen was arrested by German authorities for allegedly spying on Tehran's behalf.

Australia's ASIO security agency said that it had found that Iran had coordinated multiple antisemitic attacks in the country, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to expel Iran's ambassador in August.

Edited by: Zac Crellin