The London studio of an Iran state TV channel that issued death threats to journalists in the UK should be shut down, security experts and cross-party politicians have urged.
The warning comes after the JC last week revealed the regime propaganda arm had named Iranian dissident journalists in Britain on air, saying: “You should be dead. Not an easy death,” adding: “They will get what they deserve.”
Now there are calls for the UK headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in Acton, west London to be investigated by the Home Office and counter-terror police, after what one Labour MP described as the station “openly calling for murder”.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called upon the government to shut down a “despicable station” that supports “a murderous terrorist sponsoring regime”.
The channel is funded by the regime of the Islamic Republic, and its CEO is appointed directly by the office of the Supreme Leader.
The threats had been directed at two reporters for Persian-language opposition channel Manoto.
The JC has chosen not to repeat the names of the targeted journalists.
The calls for action come amid hopes that the Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) will be proscribed, following a pledge by the government in the King’s Speech.
There has been growing concern over Iranian activities on British soil this year, with a series of attacks on Jewish locations said to be the work of operatives controlled by the regime.
Logo of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)[Missing Credit]
Tory frontbencher Philp said: “We cannot allow a TV station making death threats and supporting a murderous terrorist-sponsoring regime to operate from British soil. This despicable TV station should be shut and prevented from operating in the UK.
“If we are serious about rooting out extremism in this country, organisations like this should simply not be allowed to operate. Let’s shut it down now. “
Mark Sewards, Labour MP and parliamentary chair of Labour Friends of Israel, said: “The Islamic Republic’s vile propaganda broadcasters are not only spreading hate, they are openly calling for murder.
“The government’s decision to press ahead with new powers for proscription has never been more urgent – with Iranian dissidents and the Jewish community squarely in the crosshairs of Iran’s brutal regime.
"Along with swiftly proscribing the IRGC, every one of these hate-filled mouthpieces should be sanctioned.”
Manoto has since paused its UK operation over direct threats believed to be from the regime.
One counter-terror expert told the JC that such threats follow a pattern associated with the regime’s overseas intimidation campaigns and has previously ended in murder. Roger Macmillan, who served as head of security at another opposition broadcaster, Iran International, said he had protected journalists “from exactly the kind of violence that IRIB was signalling”.
He warned: “The mechanism is well understood: you name someone on state television, you frame them as a traitor or an enemy agent, and you signal to regime-aligned networks globally that they are a legitimate target. We have seen that sequence end in murder.
“IRIB is not a broadcaster in any meaningful editorial sense, it is a state instrument of the Islamic Republic under direct control of the IRGC – an organisation that the prime minister has promised to proscribe.
“What was transmitted was not opinion or even propaganda, it was targeted incitement against named individuals living in this country, with an explicit reference to past assassinations carried out by the regime abroad.
"That is not protected speech. That is a threat.”
He added: “The question for the Home Office and for Counter Terrorism Police is not whether shutting down IRIB’s London operation conflicts with press freedom – it does not.
"The question is why it is still operating. These soft influence networks must be shut down.”
Islamic Republic paramilitary force on parade in Tehran (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)Getty Images
Lord Walney, the government’s former independent adviser on political violence and disruption, also called for the broadcaster’s British operation to be brought to a halt.
The calls to kill UK-based journalists amount to “criminal incitement that goes way beyond broadcasting law and requires firm action from law enforcement and the government”, Lord Walney said.
“The channel should be immediately shut down.”
IRIB employed around ten staff in Britain in 2017, according to reports in The Times. Some of the station’s personnel are understood to have secured Home Office visas and then acquired the right to remain in the UK through their work for the broadcaster.
The JC has been told that some former IRIB staff have gone on to secure jobs at the BBC. The station previously operated from inside the Islamic Republic’s London embassy, before relocating to its Acton premises.
From there, the JC understands that anti-Western broadcasts in Farsi are recorded and sent back to Iran for satellite distribution and packaged for YouTube. UK IRIB presenters have filmed segments at anti-Israel demonstrations, including the annual Al Quds Day parade.
Iranian state radio and television in the IRIB network have described attacks against the Jewish community in London as “attacks on Zionist organisations linked to Israel”.
As well as being a broadcaster with channels including Press TV under its remit, IRIB also holds Iran’s monopoly on satellite infrastructure.
Founded in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution, the network controls Iran’s domestic radio and television, and satellite facilities used to transmit broadcasts abroad.
Two of the channel’s journalists have been sanctioned by the UK for links to the regime, while senior IRIB figures Mohammad Sarafraz and Ezzatollah Zarghami have also been sanctioned.
But politicians from across the house have called on authorities to go further, closing the UK office of the broadcaster.
Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP for Harrow East, said: “Clearly any accusation that an Iranian broadcaster is attacking Iranian dissidents, means that, if they are found to be acting in this way, they should be closed down and all the operatives on visas deported if proven to be involved.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are clear-eyed about the threats posed by Iran, and our first priority is protecting British interests and British lives both in the UK and overseas.
“We have introduced a comprehensive set of additional measures aimed at countering threats posed by the Iranian regime.”
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Any allegations relating to possible terrorism or national security related offences are passed to officers within Counter Terrorism Policing, who will assess the details and take any further action as appropriate. More broadly, we do not comment on who may or may not be subject to any counter terrorism investigation.”
The JC approached IRIB for comment.
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.