Iran International TV station moves from UK to US to avoid Tehran-backed assassination attempts

An Iranian television channel has been forced to move its broadcast studio from the UK to Washington, DC, to avoid Tehran-backed assassination and kidnapping attempts.

The relocation of Iran International came at the behest of counterterrorism police chiefs who advised the channel to move after a recent string of thwarted plots targeting the station’s journalist, the Sunday Times of London reported.

The situation reportedly reached its climax last weekend when a 30-year-old Australian citizen was allegedly caught filming security details outside the channel’s headquarters in Chiswick, West London.

The man was charged with a terrorism-related offense, but investigations into the incident prompted authorities to declare that they had “serious concerns” about the employees at the station.

Approximately 100 people reportedly work at Iran International.

Mahmood Enayat, the station’s general manager, expressed his disbelief at the situation in a statement released Saturday.

“I cannot believe it has come to this,” he said. “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 [to] the British public at large,” Enayat added. “This is an assault on the values of sovereignty and free speech that the UK has always held dear.”

The channel’s move comes after London’s Metropolitan Police deployed armored vehicles and officers to Iran International’s headquarters after threats deemed credible were made against the station.