Iran threatens to bomb news network and jam satellite signals in 'alarming' attack on free speech

Iran International has told GB News that such threats were “part and parcel” of providing information outside of the Mullahs’ control.

Founded in 2017 and based in London, the Farsi-language satellite television and digital news network broadcasts uncensored news and current affairs, primarily for audiences in Iran and the Iranian diaspora.

“We're an independent news source, and that's what they hate about us. Because we're feeding back into Iran all the stuff that, if you were in Iran, you wouldn't know,” Iran International’s Adam Baillie told The People’s Channel.

“We're not an opposition channel as such. We're not even a dissident channel. We don't support any particular opposition figure. We just support civil society and the idea of democracy and freedom."

“The impact we make is reflected in the threats we receive from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Mr Baillie declared.

In 2022, the Islamic Republic's judiciary and security authorities declared Iran International was a “terrorist organisation” after it extensively covered nationwide anti-government protests.

Now, a spokesman for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the combat command of the regime's Armed Forces, has issued a fresh threat on Iranian state media.

They warned that if “certain institutions and countries” continue to cooperate with Iran International, locations and infrastructure linked to the broadcaster would be considered legitimate military targets.

The statement follows explicit warnings issued over the weekend by Iranian authorities to Turkmenistan and Monaco, both of which host satellites carrying Iran International’s broadcasts.

According to Iranian media reports, the spokesman accused Iran International of attempting to “wage psychological warfare against the Iranian people” through its use of satellites and media infrastructure abroad.

Iran International has now submitted an urgent complaint to UN experts in Geneva to address the threats.

“This is a grave escalation in an already unprecedented campaign to force Iran International off the air,” Mahmoud Enayat, Iran International’s CEO and general manager, said.

“Even before the current conflict, we have faced sustained and coordinated pressure simply for providing independent journalism to the Iranian people.

“We remain steadfast in the face of these threats, and we call on the international community to stand with us and to act decisively to defend media freedom.”

Mark Stephens CBE, solicitor to Iran International, slammed the Islamic regime’s warnings as “censorship by proxy”.

“Attempting to silence an independent broadcaster by threatening intermediaries, service providers and states strikes at the very foundations of press freedom and the free flow of information," he said.

“These threats must be condemned without equivocation, and concrete steps must be taken to ensure that Iran International can continue its vital work.”

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, counsel to Iran International, added: “Threatening military action against satellites and media infrastructure is an extraordinary and dangerous assault on freedom of expression.

“At a time when the Iranian people are being systematically cut off from independent sources of information, these threats represent a desperate and unlawful attempt to extinguish one of the last remaining channels of free reporting in the Farsi language.

“The international community must not look away.”

In January, Iran experienced a near-total nationwide telecommunications shutdown. While partial connectivity has since been restored, access remains heavily restricted.

In her advance report to the UN Human Rights Council, Professor Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, warned that this reflected a “deliberate endeavour to deploy communications infrastructure as an instrument of repression".

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