Iranian journalists in UK facing increasing threats

BBC calls on Iranian government to 'immediately cease campaign of intimidation'

Iran International at their new London offices after they were forced to shut down for a few months in 2023. Victoria Pertusa/ The National

Iranian journalists in the UK say they have experienced an “increasingly alarming escalation” in threats in recent months, with the BBC accusing Iran of intimidating staff and their relatives.

Journalists working on BBC News Persian were experiencing a “disturbing rise in the persecution of their family members” in Iran, the BBC’s Director General Tim Davie said in statement.

“We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately cease this campaign of intimidation,” he said.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie said journalists are being pressured to end their work. PA

Independent news organisation Iran International told The National that pressure on their staff has also increased since their anchor Pouria Zeraati was stabbed in London in March 2024.

“It's been a very noticeable upsurge over the last year, it is getting worst. We can't put figures on it,” said Adam Baillie, a spokesperson for the broadcaster.

The channel is working very closely with the Metropolitan Police and its counter-terrorism unit, and the threats are “only increasing”, he said. “Several individuals are being targeted very directly. It's ongoing, intense business that is continually developing.”

Mr Baillie believes the rise is linked to the recent US and Israeli military pressure on Iran and its proxies, which is weakening the regime.

“We associate it with the very dire situation in Iran. [The Iranian government] have their backs against the wall,” he said.

A court hearing for three Iranian nationals accused of targeting journalists working for Iran International will take place on Friday. The men were arrested under the National Security Act in early May.

It is not the first time that the BBC has accused the Iranian regime of targeting its Persian-language journalists over the past decade.

But there had been a “significant and increasingly alarming escalation” recently, Monday’s statement said.

Italian-Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati was stabbed in a London street in March 2024. Photo: Pouria Zeraati

Constant threat

Targeted journalists' relatives in Iran have endured random interrogations, travel bans, passport confiscations and threats that assets will be seized, the BBC said.

Staff in the UK and elsewhere are unable to return to Iran, and have received threats and targeted violence aimed at pressuring them to stop their work.

“In addition to enduring personal security threats from Iranian state actors operating beyond Iran's borders, BBC News Persian journalists are now witnessing a disturbing rise in the persecution of their family members inside Iran,” said Mr Davie.

“These acts are clearly designed to exploit family ties as a means of coercion – pressuring our journalists to abandon their work or return to Iran under false pretences.”

“This persecution is a direct assault on press freedom and human rights. It must end now.”

The broadcaster said it was preparing a fresh complaint to the UN.

Mr Baillie said there was a “constant threat” to its journalists, in person and online. Family members of staff in the UK have been threatened verbally on the street.

Journalists want to continue their work but are struggling with security concerns for themselves and their families.

“These are very committed people. You can see the effect it has on them,” he said.

Met Police Commander Dominic Murphy of the Counter Terrorism Command said its investigations into the threats to Iran International had shown the impact on the Iranian community in the UK.

“We use our local policing contacts to reach into that community to provide both reassurance and a two-way communication so that we understand how concerned they are,” he said at a hearing last month with the Human Rights Joint Committee.

Complaints to UN

Tehran is yet to respond to the latest allegations from the BBC. The Iranian regime has previously denied threatening Iranian journalists abroad, accusing the broadcaster of spreading false information to encourage its overthrow.

The Persian-language service has a weekly global audience of almost 22 million people, including around 13 million in Iran, where the service is banned.

The BBC lodged complaints to the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 and in 2022.

The UN Secretary General and special rapporteurs have previously raised concerns about Iran's treatment of BBC staff and warned that harassment, surveillance and death threats violated international human rights law.

Eight months ago, MI5 chief Ken McCallum said the agency had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots in the UK. He warned that Iranian state actors “make extensive use of criminals as proxies”, from international drug smugglers to petty crooks.

Two Romanian nationals were charged in December over the stabbing of Mr Zaatari.