Iran’s top London official hauled in for a dressing down by ministers over ‘serious threats’ from Tehran regime towards journalists living in the UK that forced TV station to close
- Iran International announced on Saturday that it was closing its London studios
- Channel blamed a surge in threats from the protest-hit authorities in Iran
Ministers today summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat in London to the Foreign Office for a dressing down after journalists in the UK were subjected to ‘serious threats’.
Private television network Iran International announced on Saturday that it was following police advice to close its London studios, blaming a surge in threats from the protest-hit authorities in Iran.
The station has provided extensive coverage of anti-government demonstrations that erupted in Iran five months ago and said two of its senior journalists received death threats in response to their reporting.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Monday that a senior official in his ministry met Charge d’Affaires Mehdi Hosseini Matin, ‘to make clear the UK will not tolerate threats to life and media freedom’.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Monday that a senior official in his ministry met Charge d’Affaires Mehdi Hosseini Matin, ‘to make clear the UK will not tolerate threats to life and media freedom’.
Private television network Iran International announced on Saturday that it was following police advice to close its London studios, blaming a surge in threats from the protest-hit authorities in Iran.
‘I am appalled by the Iranian regime’s continuing threats to the lives of UK-based journalists and have today summoned its representative to make clear this will not be tolerated,’ Cleverly added.
‘The UK will always stand up to countries who threaten our fundamental values of freedom of expression and the media.’
A man was arrested a week ago near the television station’s Chiswick studio and charged with terrorism offences related to the surveillance of the company’s headquarters.
Mahmood Enayat, general manager of Iran International TV, said in a statement: ‘I cannot believe it has come to this.
‘A foreign state has caused such a significant threat to the British public on British soil that we have to move.
‘Let’s be clear, this is not just a threat to our TV station but the British public at large.
‘Even more this is an assault on the values of sovereignty, security and free speech that the UK has always held dear.
‘Day and night our journalists strive to deliver the 85 million people of Iran and its diaspora the independent, uncensored news they deserve.
‘We refuse to be silenced by these cowardly threats. We will continue to broadcast. We are undeterred.’
The wave of demonstrations came in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September, after she was detained by police in the capital for allegedly not adhering to Iran’s Islamic dress code.
Britain also imposed new sanctions today on eight senior Iranian figures it said are responsible for domestic oppression.
London said the move, hours after the European Union announced asset freezes and visa bans on Iran’s education and culture ministers, was ‘part of wider efforts to hold the regime to account over its behaviour globally’.
The channel has now relocated from the UK to the US over security threats to its journalists
Mr Cleverly said: ‘As part of wider efforts to hold Iran to account, the UK has today also sanctioned a further eight individuals responsible for horrific human rights violations in Iran, including the killing of children.
‘We will never allow the regime’s threats to go unchallenged.’
The latest sanctions targeted three Iranian judges who had imposed the death penalty against protestors and five commanders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Cleverly said London’s asset freezes and visa bans showed the UK ‘will never allow the regime’s threats to go unchallenged’.
He added the eight Iranians sanctioned were ‘responsible for horrific human rights violations in Iran, including the killing of children’.
London has hit more than 50 Iranian individuals and entities with sanctions in response to alleged human rights violations since the latest period of popular unrest began last September.
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