London-Based TV Station Critical of Iranian Regime Moves to US After Threats

Demonstrators at Trafalgar Square in London on Sunday Jan. 8, 2023. The protest against the Islamic Republic in Iran followed the death of Mahsa Amini. (Aaron Chown/PA)

A UK-based Persian-language TV station has said it is moving its studios to the United States from London because of the growing threat from the Iranian regime and security advice from British police.

“After a significant escalation in state-backed threats from Iran and advice from the Metropolitan Police, Iran International TV says it has reluctantly closed its London studios and moved broadcasting to Washington D.C.,” the channel said in a statement on Feb. 18.

The decision came days after London’s Metropolitan Police said a man had been charged with a terrorism offence after being detained in Chiswick Business Park, where Iran International’s headquarters is located.

The Met said last week that the force had detected 15 plots by Iranian intelligence services to kidnap or kill British or “UK-based” dissidents since January 2022.

‘Undeterred’

“I cannot believe it has come to this,“ Mahmood Enayat, general manager of Iran International TV, said in a statement. ”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.”

Candles and pictures of Mahsa Amini are placed at a memorial during a candlelight vigil for Mahsa Amini who died in the custody of Iran's morality police, in Los Angeles, on Sept. 29, 2022. (Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran International TV, which is critical of the regime in Tehran. has carried extensive coverage of anti-government protests in the Islamic Republic. The demonstrations, which first erupted in Tehran on Sept. 16, 2022, when Mahsa Amini, a young woman from Iran’s majority-Kurdish city of Saqez, died in the custody of the regime’s so-called morality police.

The protests have reportedly left hundreds of demonstrators and scores of security personnel dead.

Iran has accused regional rival Saudi Arabia of funding the channel. Saudi Arabia hasn’t commented on Tehran’s claims.

‘Serious Concerns’

The channel took the decision to relocate just days after a man was charged with terror offences after being detained in the vicinity of its London studios.

Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 30, an Austrian national, was charged on Feb. 13 with “collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism,” according to the Met.

Dovtaev was arrested on Feb. 11 on the site of Chiswick Business Park.

“In light of the ongoing investigation that follows the arrest of a man last weekend in that area, and despite extraordinary security measures, we still have serious concerns for the safety of people working at this company,” Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, head of counter-terrorism policing, said in a statement.

“This has led to us giving further advice and the company is now relocating. We would like to thank the company for their ongoing understanding with this as we continue to support them.

“We also appreciate that talking to a media company about moving their operations from a particular location, even though it is due to grave safety concerns, is exceptional. The advice to relocate has not been given lightly,” he added.

“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.”

‘Completely Unacceptable’

Despite being about 4,000 kilometers (almost 2,500 miles) away, Iran’s repressive establishment casts a sinister shadow on the lives of Iranians living in the UK.

London-based British Iranians have told The Epoch Times that they fear for their safety in the UK after speaking out against the Iranian government.

Business owner Kamran (a pseudonym) said he has been “intimidated, harassed” at protest events and feels “under constant surveillance.” He said that Tehran has extended its “tentacles” in the United Kingdom by setting up “charity centres” or “Islamic centres” linked to the regime.

“It seems the UK government is just totally blind to this,” he said.

The UK government responded to the broadcaster’s move by condemning the “lack of respect for basic rights” demonstrated by the Iranian regime.

“Media freedom is a vital part of our society and journalists must be able to investigate and report independently without fear,” a spokesperson said.

“We will not tolerate any threat to media organisations or journalists. We know the Iranian regime has established a pattern of this type of behaviour which is completely unacceptable, yet sadly typical of the regime and its lack of respect for basic rights.

“The police are continuing to work in response to this threat. We will continue to use all tools at our disposal to protect individuals in the UK against any threats from the Iranian state.”

Patricia Devlin, Reuters, and PA Media contributed to this report.