The Persian-language television network Iran International announced in a statement that, following the outbreak of the Iran-Israel war (late June 2025), “45 of its journalists and staff, along with 315 of their relatives across eight countries, have received death threats from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.”
According to the statement, published on August 5, 2025 “the Islamic Republic has issued an ultimatum to Iran International journalists, demanding they cease cooperation with the network by the end of July; otherwise, they or their family members will be targeted.” These threats have been reported against Iran International journalists and their families in Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Turkey, Canada, Germany, and Belgium.
The statement further notes: “Islamic Republic authorities, without providing any evidence, have systematically and extensively accused Iran International journalists of spying for Israel, claiming they have provided information about Iran’s infrastructure to Israeli intelligence agencies.”
Iran International has also submitted a request to United Nations experts, urging them to take “urgent and effective measures to protect the lives of the network’s journalists and their families” in light of the severity and scope of the threats.
This is not the first instance of Iran International journalists and their families facing threats and harassment by agents of the Islamic Republic. On the ninth day of the Iran-Israel war, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detained three family members of one of the network’s presenters residing in Iran. Additionally, Iran International journalists have repeatedly been subjected to threats, cyberattacks, assassination plots, and even knife attacks.
The Defending of Free Flow of Information (DeFFI) strongly condemns any psychological or physical violence against Iran International journalists and their families, describing these actions as a blatant attack on freedom of expression and a gross violation of citizens’ right to access independent information. Such actions, aimed at intimidating journalists and disrupting the free flow of information, are unacceptable and constitute a violation of the fundamental rights of Iranian citizens. DeFFI calls for urgent, decisive, and effective measures by governments and international organizations to protect Iranian journalists and their families from the Islamic Republic’s transnational threats and organized harassment.