Iran International TV tells staff to stay away from office after 'security threats'

Broadcaster Iran International has temporarily suspended newsroom staff from attending their London office given a significant escalation in alleged security threats from the Iranian government. 

The opposition news channel, set up in 2017, has been reportedly targeted by Iranian agents in the UK before, with a significant uptick in security threats since the outbreak of mass protests in Iran and the subsequent crackdown by authorities on the demonstrations. 

There are no plans for the Saudi-funded station to stop broadcasting and news-gathering operations will continue in London.

However, newsroom staff will be temporarily working from various locations outside the office to ensure their safety and the safety of others at the Chiswick complex.

"Threats had grown to the point that it was felt it was no longer possible to protect the channel's staff, other employees at Chiswick Business Park and the general public," Iran International said in a statement sent to The New Arab. 

Mahmood Enayat, General Manager of Iran International TV, said: "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."

Iran International said their output had not been impacted and that technical and news-gathering operations in the UK persist. 

Broadcasting will continue uninterrupted from Washington DC for the moment. 

Amnesty International says it "stands in solidarity w/ @IranIntl journalists who have courageously carried out in-depth coverage of Iran protests. @amnesty has long documented Iran authorities' pattern of targeting journos & dissidents abroad in a sinister attempt to hide truth." pic.twitter.com/PLw1ce1Ub0

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) February 21, 2023

UK Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat told the House of Commons that the broadcaster was working with British police to find a new secure broadcasting location in London. 

The Tory MP condemned the "very real and specific threats" to UK-based journalists as "an outrageous violation of our sovereignty" and "the attempted violation of the human rights of those journalists". 

Matt Jukes, the UK Head of Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP), said the decision to advise Iran International to relocate was "exceptional". 

"The situation that journalists face around the world and the fact that some journalists face such hostile intentions of foreign states whilst in the UK is a challenging reality that we are determined to confront," he said, according to a statement sent from the Metropolitan Police to The New Arab.  

The UK government has responded to 15 "credible threats" since the start of 2022 to kill or kidnap British or UK-based individuals by the Iranian authorities. 

Last week, an individual was charged with a terrorism offence after being arrested near Iran International's London office. 

Iran has been gripped by large-scale anti-government protests since the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. 

In response, authorities have detained up to 20,000 people and launched a systematic campaign to shut down organisations seeking to expose the Iranian government's human rights violations. 

The New Arab has approached the Iran embassy in London for comment about the situation.