London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Why is Iran designating UK-based TV channels as ‘terrorists’?

Why is Iran designating UK-based TV channels as ‘terrorists’?

Tehran blames the channels and their hosts and backers for what it considers ‘inciting terrorist acts’ on Iranian soil.

A senior judiciary official says Iran is in the process of officially designating two London-based Persian-language television channels as “terrorist” for their coverage of the country’s ongoing unrest.

Kazem Gharibabadi, the judiciary’s deputy for international affairs, says cases are being documented against BBC Persian and Iran International with the goal of blacklisting them in their entirety for “guiding and inciting riots, destroying public and private property and equipment, and terrorist acts”.

“These two channels and their agents must be added to the list of terrorist groups and individuals,” he said in a statement.

The BBC late on Sunday released a statement calling the charges “completely fabricated”.

“Threats of action against BBC Persian staff for the work they do as journalists is completely unacceptable, and the BBC will continue to support them. Such false comments give countenance to the importance of our reliable reporting, which millions in Iran depend on,” the channel said.

The two channels have for years been denounced by Iranian authorities, but this is the first time Tehran is planning to take legal action against them.

The country’s foreign ministry on Wednesday imposed sanctions on several British institutions and individuals, which included the two channels and their parent companies.

The sanctions include a ban on issuing visas for individuals, seizure of their assets on Iranian soil, and blocking any bank accounts they may have in the country.

The Iranian actions came shortly after the European Union and the United Kingdom announced separate sanctions on a number of Iranian authorities and institutions, both for their role in what European officials called “brutal repression of the protests” and their alleged role in supplying Russia with drones used against Ukraine in the war.

Protests that spread across Iran erupted over a month ago after 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini died in the custody of Iran’s morality police following her arrest for alleged non-compliance with the country’s dress code.




Iranian authorities have blamed the United States, Israel and others for “inciting riots” across the country and have also pounded positions in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region to punish what they have called “terrorist” secessionist groups.

In his denouncing of the London-based television channels, Gharibabadi, the judiciary official, also promised that “the role of the countries that host and support these channels, i.e. Britain and Saudi Arabia, will also not go unnoticed”.

This came days after Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), issued a direct warning to Saudi Arabia, which Tehran holds responsible for bankrolling Iran International, among others.

“I warn you to be wary of your behaviour and control these media,” he said in a televised speech. “You have interfered in our internal affairs through these media, but you must know that you are vulnerable.”


Different narratives


The increasing focus on the role of media in the ongoing protests comes as Iranian state-affiliated media and foreign-based outlets have offered different narratives on the country’s unrest. This has been true for demonstrations both inside and outside Iran.

On Saturday, large crowds gathered in several European and US cities in solidarity with Iranian women. In the German capital Berlin, which saw the largest crowds, police said about 80,000 people had gathered by late afternoon, which would make it the largest gathering ever of the Iranian diaspora.

Foreign-based outlets widely covered the event, reporting that Iranians came from different cities and countries, chanting slogans that have been widely used inside the country during the protests, including “Woman, Life, Freedom”.

But in an article on Sunday, the state-run IRNA news website said the Berlin rally signaled a “scandalous defeat for the enemies of Islamic Iran” because, it alleged, some of the demonstrators were not Iranian and were paid to be there, while others were “secessionists” or linked with the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), which Tehran has blacklisted as a “terrorist” organisation.

Inside the country, videos continue to circulate on social media of sporadic demonstrations, as internet restrictions remain in place that make it exceedingly difficult to access social media platforms.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×