The Iran International news channel has taken precautionary measures to protect its journalists after it was informed by the Metropolitan Police earlier this week that it believed there were credible threats to the journalists’ lives. The two reporters were not named, nor were the exact threats mentioned. The call comes as the EU prepares to impose sanctions on Monday on another 30 Iranian officials considered at the center of human rights abuses in the country. However, plans to label the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, registered by Germany, are unlikely to be adopted. Explaining the diplomatic call, Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said “the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations. We do not tolerate threats to life and intimidation of any kind against journalists or anyone living in the UK.” Iran International, BBC Persian and a third channel, Manoto, have been at the forefront of reporting on the Iranian protests, often relying on video sent from cellphone cameras. The protests were sparked by the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, but have expanded into a wider uprising against the crackdown in Iran. Partly due to the censorship imposed on Iranian media, external satellite channels are disproportionately monitored inside Iran, prompting the Iranian government to resort to internet blackouts to prevent access to the channels. In a statement earlier this week, a spokesman for Iran International said: “These are state-sponsored threats against journalists in the UK. It is truly shocking that independent journalists on British soil are receiving credible threats to their lives in an attempt to prevent the people of Iran from getting free, uncensored information. “Britain is the home of free speech. We stand as part of this tradition, proud to serve the 85 million people of Iran with the information they cannot receive at home. The IRGC cannot be allowed to silence the free press in the UK.” The Metropolitan Police formally informed both journalists that these threats represented an immediate, credible and significant risk to their lives and their families. Other journalists at the station have also been notified by police of threats. Inside Iran, more than 60 journalists have been arrested, according to Amnesty International, with some people allegedly sending videos to UK-based Farsi news channels describing themselves as agents of foreign powers. Authorities accuse the UK-based channels of broadcasting propaganda designed to discredit the regime and claim they exaggerated the size of the protests and the subsequent crackdown. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Iranians demonstrated in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan on Friday to mark the September 30 crackdown by security forces known as Bloody Friday, as nationwide protests calling for an end to clerical rule continued. Amnesty International said security forces unlawfully killed at least 66 people, including children, after firing live ammunition, metal pellets and tear gas at protesters in the provincial capital of Zahedan, a flashpoint for the unrest sweeping Iran. The protests make the chances of a revival of a nuclear deal much less likely. Iran has agreed to a visit by the UN’s atomic energy agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), this month to begin providing answers the agency and its 35-nation council have long demanded about the origin of the uranium particles found at three sites, an agency report said. Diplomats say they expect Western powers to push for a resolution calling on Iran to cooperate at the IAEA’s quarterly board meeting next week. There are also debates among Western powers about whether the time has come to declare talks on reviving the nuclear deal over, a position that will raise questions about control over Iran’s potential nuclear program.
