Iran International
UK-based Persian-language TV station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Iran International (Persian: ایران اینترنشنال, romanized: Irān Internašnāl) is a Persian-language satellite television channel and multilingual digital news operation based in London, United Kingdom. Established in May 2017, it is aimed at Iranians and global audience interested in Iranian news, culture, politics, society and sports.[1] Reportedly Saudi-linked,[2][3] the channel covered Iranian politics, geopolitical role, economy, human rights violations and LGBTQ+ rights. News content is available online, via radio and via satellite broadcasting worldwide including inside Iran despite official attempts at censorship.[4][5]
| |
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Headquarters | London |
| Programming | |
| Languages | Persian, English, Arabic |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Volant Media UK Ltd |
| Sister channels | Afghanistan International |
| History | |
| Launched | 19 May 2017 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | www |
| Website | iranintl.com |
Overview
The channel has received media attention for its reporting on human rights violations, political developments, LGBTQ+ rights and women's rights in Iran[4][6] and has twice been nominated for International Channel of the Year by the Association for International Broadcasting and won a 2023 Clio Entertainment Award as well as a 2023 Promax UK award.[7][8][9]
In 2022, an independent survey carried out by the Netherlands-based non-profit the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) and reported by the Association for International Broadcasting[7] found that Iran International is the most influential source of independent news in Iran with 33% of the daily audience.[10] More than half of the 27,000 participants surveyed also reported that they trusted Iran International "a lot" or "to some extent".[11]
During the Mahsa Amini protests on 9 November 2022, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence Ismail Khatib announced that Iran International had been declared a terrorist organization by the Islamic Republic of Iran, accused of inciting riots protesting the government.[12][13][14]
News sources reported that the Iranian government waged an intimidation campaign on the channel's personnel, freezing their assets, interrogating their relatives and "threatening to snatch them from British streets if they do not quit their jobs."[15][16] In February 2023 Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev was charged with terrorism after being caught photographing areas surrounding the London studios, and in September Iran International said it was resuming broadcasting from London, UK.[17][18] Dovtaev was found guilty and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail.[19]
Iran International broadcasts via the TürkmenÄlem 52°E / MonacoSAT satellite to a wide region of Europe and Asia (including Iran), and also transmits an audio relay of it receivable in Iran via shortwave radio (SW). It also broadcasts worldwide via online streaming through its website or streaming apps.[20] It is licensed in the United Kingdom to Global Media Circulating Ltd as an editorial news service based in London[21] and is managed by DMA Media Ltd, which has bureaus in Paris, Istanbul, Kabul and Washington.[22] Volant Media UK launched a sister channel in 2021, Afghanistan International.[23]
History
Iran International was launched on 18 May 2017.[24] According to UK corporate records and sources "familiar with the channel", it was funded and started by members of the Saudi royal court circle.[25] Its stated aims are to deliver world news to the inhabitants of Iran, to provide the global Iranian diaspora with "a fair and balanced view of what happens inside Iran", and to connect the two audiences.[26] Iran International is headquartered in London and broadcasts internationally, with a team of journalists that have joined from other Persian-language news channels, including Manoto, Radio Farda, BBC Persian Service and Voice of America. It has bureaus in Istanbul, Paris and Washington D.C.[26]
In 2018, the Iranian ambassador to the UK lodged a complaint to the media regulator because of Iran International's interview with a separatist group spokesman after they claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack on a military parade in Ahvaz in Khuzestan Province, killing 25 civilians and military.[27] The channel aired an interview with Yaqoub Hor Altostari, presented as a spokesman for the group, indirectly claiming responsibility for the attack and calling it "resistance against legitimate targets".[28] After a long investigation Ofcom ruled that Iran International did not breach any rules.[29][30] In 2021, Iran International leaked an interview given by Iran's then foreign minister, Javad Zarif; Iran's foreign ministry said leak had been distorted through selective quotations.[31]
On 9 November 2022, among the Mahsa Amini protests, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence Ismail Khatib announced that Iran International had been declared a terrorist organization by the Islamic Republic of Iran for supposedly inciting the anti-government riots. Any cooperation with the channel will be considered an act of cooperation with terrorists and a threat to national security.[13] In response to Iranian government's castigation, Iran International deemed it needed to increase security in order to protect its London staff from threats emanating from Tehran. These bulwarks have included concrete barriers "guaranteed to stop a 7.5 ton truck at 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour," taking the lead from the way the UK government uses such barriers to defend against vehicular onslaughts, which vehicles are now monitored through checkpoints.[32]
On 18 February 2023, after a significant escalation in state-backed threats from Iran and advice from the Metropolitan Police, Iran International TV said it had reluctantly closed its London studios temporarily and moved broadcasting to Washington, D.C.[17][33][34][35] Operations resumed at a new location in London in September 2023.[18][36]
Cyberattacks on Iran International
The Handala group infiltrated the internal systems and data of Iran International in July 2025. Iran International confirmed the authenticity of the leaked data in a statement.[37][38] The group said it had published information on more than 71,000 users, employees, financial records, contracts and internal messages of the network. In total, the volume of the leaked data is said to have exceeded 2 terabytes.[39][40][41] The Handala group is linked to the Iranian intelligence, according to Iran International.[42]
Programming
According to Middle East Eye, Iran International is a media platform for the Iranian opposition.[43] Kourosh Ziabari of Al-Monitor wrote it "does not shy away from presenting itself as an opposition media organization" and frequently gives the microphone to guests who criticize the Iranian government.[44] The channel has been referred to as an "Iranian exile news outlet" by Borzou Daragahi of The Independent.[45]
The channel is known for raising the profile of Reza Pahlavi, the last heir apparent to the former Iranian throne, and establishing him as a potential leader of Iran by constant coverage and repeatedly interviewing him.[43][46] It also airs coverage of People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), including live broadcast of their rallies.[47] Following the Twelve-Day War of June 2025, it conducted a series of interviews with top Israeli politicians, including Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid.[46]
The claim of responsibility for the Ahvaz military parade attack was made through Iran International.[48] In 2020, the TV broadcast performance of Iranian singers who were flown in from the United States to the Winter at Tantora Festival.[43] In 2018, Iran International was not running television advertisements;[47] by 2026, it was running advertisements that promote Reza Pahlavi.[49]
News output
Iran International relies on a team of journalists around the world and reports on current affairs, health, technology, human rights violations, LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights and more.[26][50][51][52] The channel has reported extensively on the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, the Iran Nuclear Deal and global politics.[53][54][55] The channel also airs television shows on sport, culture and politics and has produced documentaries that have been nominated for awards by the Association for International Broadcasters.[56]
Exclusive stories
Iran International reported exclusively on the extension of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's furlough,[57] and her partner Richard Ratcliffe has been a guest on the channel multiple times.[58] The channel was also the first to report that Iranian rapper Amir Tataloo was facing deportation back to Iran from Turkey,[58] and the sentencing of The Salesman star Taraneh Alidoosti.[59]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, the channel published exclusive documents pertaining to alleged high level government corruption concerning COVID-19 medical supplies, with The Independent writing that the documents "purported to show how Iran regime figures intervened in the procurement of medical supplies to steer South Korean contracts for Covid-19 test-kits through shell companies towards conservative foundations controlled by cronies".[45]
Reporting on the execution of Navid Afkari, Iran International exclusively interviewed Amnesty International's Iran Researcher and human rights lawyer Raha Bahreini, who told the channel that "with the secret and previously unannounced execution of Navid Afkari, the Islamic Republic authorities once again showed the ruthless and merciless of Iran's judiciary system at the international level".[60]
Human rights
Lesbian activist and journalist at Iran International, Aram Bolandpaz has produced several documentaries on the LGBTQ+ community inside Iran and has been a vocal critic of human rights violations against the community.[4][50]
In June 2020, Iran International reported on a series of honour killings and gender-based violence that took place in Iran,[61] with legal analyst and journalist at Iran International Nargess Tavalossian, the daughter of Nobel Prize winning activist Shirin Ebadi, speaking publicly to global media outlets about the increase in violence against women in the country.[61][6]
The channel has also been noted for its reporting on the arrest of award-winning film director Mohammed Rouslouf.[62]
Popularity
Iran International's news and analysis has been cited in Western media publications, including BBC News,[63] The Guardian,[64] The Sydney Morning Herald,[52] The Telegraph,[65] Fox News,[6] and The Independent.[66] Staff at Iran International have also appeared as experts on BBC Radio 4, Sky News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation networks[67] and ITN.
In 2023, an online survey carried out by the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) reported 54% of respondents "sometimes" or "often" listened to or watched Iran International. GAMAAN's poll, which had a "raw sample" of 38,445 respondents and a sample size of 8,108 after statistical adjustments, was distributed through U.S. government-funded VPN platforms Psiphon[68] and Lantern,[69] as well as social media and encrypted messaging platforms.[70] It found that Iran International's most popular programs were the "Cheshmandaz Talk Show, with Sima Sabet," its various documentaries, and "24, with Fardad Farahzad."[10] Half of the individuals surveyed also said they trusted Iran International "a lot" or "to some extent".[70] GAMAAN states its survey results are generalizable to the broader population of "literate individuals above 19 years old residing in Iran".[70]
Another UK-based Persian TV outlet, Manoto, received similarly high levels of trust from respondents to GAMAAN's survey, and was a close second in viewership, with about 42% of respondents "sometimes" or "often" viewing or listening to Manoto programming. But in 2024, Manoto shut down its satellite broadcasting due to financial issues. Manoto still operates via YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. The BBC News Persia was in third, with 37.3% of survey participants "sometimes" or "often" tuning in.[70]
Staff
The head of TV is Mahmood Enayat,[71] and the Director of News is Aliasghar Ramezanpour,[72] who was the deputy Minister of Culture of Iran under former president Mohammad Khatami.[73] In July 2019, Iranian media reporter Mazdak Mirzaei, a football commentator and TV host joined Iran International. Mirzaei had worked for IRIB on the weekly TV sports program Navad, that was suspended by the new head of IRIB 3 in March 2019.[44]
In May 2020, Iran International senior journalist Omid Habibinia joined the team.[74][full citation needed] In September 2021, Iran International journalist Tajuden Soroush published several reports on Afghanistan following the 15 August 2021 fall of Kabul.[75][76][77] Iran International is banned by the Iranian government. The channel is said to have no reporters inside the territory of Iran.[46]
Unionization efforts
Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) told Press Gazette "[o]ur members at Iran International have faced intimidation and harassment for their work as journalists —that their rights of freedom of association should be trampled on in this way is a grave injustice and one that the NUJ will do all it can to rectify."[78]
On 10 July 2020, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released a statement to condemn the union busting efforts made by Iran International, its refusal to engage with the UK government's non-departmental public body Acas to recognize a NUJ chapel, and what it called a "breach of international labour standards."[79] Iran International had signed a recognition deal with the British Association of Journalists (BAJ), which IFJ describes as a "sweetheart deal" with an "obscure journalists' union", and appointed a senior manager to represent staff while pressuring them to join BAJ.[79] NUJ stated that BAJ had no members there before the deal was made.[78] As of July 2020, BAJ claimed 20 members working at Iran International while NUJ said an "overwhelming majority" of the 140 workers are its members.[78] On 15 July 2020, Labour peer Lord John Hendy submitted a complaint to International Labour Organization (ILO) against the BAJ and Iran International.[80]
Intimidation of staff
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence had previously named the employees of Iran International as "enemy of the state", writing on its website that those who "serve foreigners" and "betray the country" will be punished.[15] The same publication wrote in May 2020 that Iran International is thought to be the target of a state-sponsored programme that "has sought to discredit its reporting and trace its followers" by creating replicas of its social media accounts. Instagram was criticized for hosting the fake accounts.[16]
In December 2019, Shanti Das of The Times reported that the Iranian government waged an "intimidation campaign" against personnel of the TV station, freezing their assets, interrogating their relatives and "threatening to snatch them from British streets if they do not quit their jobs".[15] In 2022, London's Metropolitan Police placed concrete barriers outside the company's studios in west London as a response to "imminent and credible threats".[81]
In February 2023, Iran International moved its headquarters temporarily to Washington, D.C. due to increased threats from the Iranian government against Iran International's UK-based journalists.[82] Scotland Yard warned Iran International staff that it could not "safeguard them from Tehran-backed assassins or kidnappers on UK soil".[83] Magomed-Husekjn Dovtaev was charged in 2023 with terrorism after he was found collecting information outside the channel's headquarters.[84] Dovtaev was charged "with collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism".[85]
In March 2024, journalist Pouria Zeraati, was stabbed outside his home in London.[36][86] He later relocated to Israel for safety reasons.[46] In April 2026, three men were arrested following an arson attack on the London premises of the channel. The suspects are British locals.[87][88] The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the attack, calling for full investigation and extra protection for exiled Iranian journalists.[89]
Ownership
Iran International is owned by Volant Media UK Ltd,[90] a company based in London owned by a Saudi–British national.[91] It is licensed in the United Kingdom to Global Media Circulating Ltd as an editorial news service based in London[21] and is managed by DMA Media Ltd, which has bureaus in Paris, Istanbul, Kabul and Washington.[22] Volant Media UK launched a sister channel in 2021, Afghanistan International following the Taliban's capture of Kabul.[23] Corporate documents for Volant Media shows that another Saudi national, Fahad Ibrahim Aldeghither, was the major shareholder of Volant Media before Adel Abdukarim.[90] Aldeghither owned over 75% of the shares of Volant Media from May 2016 to May 2018.[90] Fahad Ibrahim Aldeghither was the chairman of Mobile Telecommunication Company Saudi Arabia (Zain) from March 2013 to February 2016. Zain Saudi is the third-largest telecoms provider in Saudi Arabia.[92]
The Guardian claimed that a Saudi–British national provided a 250-million-dollar fund for Iran International in 2018.[93] The channel's management defended the independence of its editorial operation, denying a link to any governments.[47] The channel reportedly supports Iran's former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.[94][95]
Reception
Iran International's news and analysis has been cited in Western media publications, including BBC News,[63] The Guardian,[96] The Sydney Morning Herald,[52] The Telegraph,[65] Fox News,[6] and The Independent.[66] Staff at Iran International have also appeared as experts on BBC Radio 4, Sky News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation networks[67] and ITN.[citation needed]
Alleged pro-Saudi bias
Iran International has been accused of promoting Saudi interests,[25][47] and promoting former Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.[46][97] In response, Iran International stated that it "adheres to strict international standards of impartiality, balance and accountability".[25] The Guardian claimed that Iran International was funded by a Saudi businessman with close ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and received $250 million from Saudi Arabia for launching the channel.[47][91] Iran International denied being funded by any government, but acknowledged it was "owned by a Saudi Arabian/British citizen".[91]
The Wall Street Journal reported that "some journalists at Iran International have complained that management is pushing a pro-Saudi, anti-Islamic Republic line". A former correspondent at the TV station was quoted as commenting that "a systematic and very persistent push" was made during her service there.[25]
Elisheva Machlis, a faculty member of Bar-Ilan University's faculty of Middle East Studies, placed the channel's establishment within the context of "a Saudi effort to gain influence inside Iran", whose former Washington correspondent Negar Mortazavi related the initiative to an expensive Saudi push for "influence and credibility".[46][25] Azadeh Moaveni, associate professor of journalism at New York University (NYU), called the channel an arm of Saudi Arabia: "I would not describe Iran International as pro-reform, or organically Iranian in any manner."[98] Historian Lior Sternfeld stated, "Just as Al-Jazeera promotes Qatari interests, so does this channel promote Saudi interests regarding Iran." Sternfeld noted that, from around 2021, Mohammed bin Salman's attitude towards the Iranian government softened.[46] In an interview with the Jacobin magazine, political scientist Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi claimed that the channel was backed by Israel.[99] When the Iranian and Saudi Arabian governments re-established diplomatic relations in Beijing in March 2023, the Saudis reportedly agreed to tone down the coverage of the Mahsa Amini protests on the channel.[100] Iran International's management denied links to any governments.[47] Its spokesperson said to the CNN, "We have heard these accusations before most often promoted by those in whose interests it is to deny a free press."[98] The New Arab, a Pan-Arab news outlet owned by Qatari company Fadaat Media, accused the channel of misrepresenting anti-Islamic Republic sentiment as pro-monarchist sentiment during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests.[101]
Alleged pro-Israeli bias
Bloomberg News identifies Iran International as a "pro-Israel broadcaster".[95] Professor Nahid Siamdoust of the University of Texas at Austin writes that Iran International, among others, weaponized the Woman, Life, Freedom movement to support Israeli military attacks on Iran.[102] According to Siamdoust, Iran International presents Israel as "the savior of Iranian women".[102]
In 2023, Iran International journalists met with the Israeli Minister of Intelligence.[103][104] A report by The New Arab stated that when Iran International leaked Mahsa Amini's medical records, it received from a hack group with alleged ties to the Israeli intelligence.[105] Iranian state media has referred to Iran International as the “psychological operations arm of the Israeli Ministry of War.”[106]
During the Gaza war, according to The New Arab, Iran International took a pro-Israeli stance, and some of its journalists justified Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians.[107] During the Twelve-Day War, Iran International's host Pouria Zeraati, interviewed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.[108] During the interview, Netanyahu said to Zeraati, "I respect you, I admire you."[46] Iran International also reported from inside an Iron Dome base, and interviewed an Israeli commander.[108]
Reporting on Armenian‒Iranian relations
In July 2024, Iran International reported on a secret $500 million agreement between Iran and Armenia by citing a "senior military official in the Middle East." The supposed deal was reported to have included Shahed 136, Shahed 129, Shahed 197, and Mohajer drones and air defense systems such as 3rd Khordad, Majid, 15th Khordad, and Arman. It further reportedly involved intelligence cooperation, close military relations, training, and the establishment of bases on Armenian soil.[109][110]
The report was denied by Armenia's Defense Ministry as "fictitious and false".[111][112][110] Mehdi Sobhani, Iran's ambassador in Armenia, also denied the report, calling the outlet "unreliable" and having a "history of publishing incorrect information and biased analyses about the Islamic Republic of Iran." Sobhani said the "purpose of publishing such news is to influence the development of friendly relations between Iran and the countries of the region and emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran supports the establishment of peace and stability as well as economic development in the Caucasus region."[113][114][115] Azerbaijani pro-government media also denied the report calling it "entirely fabricated" and aimed at "sabotaging the burgeoning relationship between Azerbaijan and Iran by spreading false information."[116][117] The U.S. Department of State did not comment on the report.[118]
Reporting in Palestinian territories
On 7 October 2024, an Iran International correspondent in Israel, Babak Eshaghi, was videotaped writing the saying "Woman, Life, Freedom" on the walls of a destroyed building in the besieged Gaza Strip. The saying originated with the Kurdish freedom movement in Iraq, Turkey and Syria; it was later revived as an international slogan in support of women's rights following global protests in 2022 and 2023 against the mistreatment and murder of Mahsa Jina Amini.[119]
Ties to Reza Pahlavi
Iran International reportedly promotes former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi,[94] and BBC Monitoring has identified several senior Iran International journalists who back Pahlavi.[120] Bloomberg News identifies Iran International as "explicitly monarchist".[95] Professor Lior Sternfeld has argued that Iran International has played a "central role" in promoting the image of Reza Pahlavi as Iran's next leader. Iran International's editorial line is "to improve Reza's image".[46] Iran International says it runs Pahlavi ads “on a pro bono basis”.[49] The channel also airs QR codes that call for Iranian security forces to defect to Pahlavi.[49] Mehrdad Emami writes in Jadaliyya that Iran International serves as the political platform for the Iranian monarchism movement.[97] Mehdi Salehi writes that Iran International "blurs the line between journalism and political agitation".[106]