Iran International TV closes London studios
February 20, 2023
By Colin Mann
After a significant escalation in state-backed threats from Iran and advice from the Metropolitan Police, independent news channel Iran International TV has reluctantly closed its London studios and moved broadcasting to Washington DC. The station will continue to operate from Washington DC uninterrupted.
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 in West London and the general public.
“I cannot believe it has come to this,” commented Mahmood Enayat, General Manager of Iran International TV. “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,” he stated.
“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. We will continue to broadcast. We are undeterred,” he asserted.
The decision comes after months of alleged threats from the Iranian Government and its proxies aimed at Iran International TV
In a Statement, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, confirmed the force would continue to work closely with its intelligence partners and others to investigate threats, support those affected and put in place measures to keep them safe.
“Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing alongside local officers and other specialists from the Metropolitan Police continue to work in response to potential threats projected from Iran against a number of UK-based individuals. At its sharpest, this has involved police and MI5 working together to foil 15 plots since the start of 2022 to either kidnap or even kill British or UK-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime,” he advised.
He said the force appreciated that talking to a media company about moving its operations from a particular location, even though it was because of grave safety concerns, was exceptional.