Iran’s ambassador to London has dismissed allegations that the Islamic Republic was involved in threats against UK-based Iranian journalists in his first appearance before the UK Parliament.
Ambassador Ali Mousavi was attending a meeting of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on the Iran-Israel conflict on June 17, where MPs grilled him over what they called Tehran-backed plots against dissident Iranian journalists in Britain.
“These issues are some allegations against and blaming my country,” he said according to an official transcript. “We have some criticism regarding BBC Persian’s activities. They are intervening in Iranian domestic affairs.”
Pressed by MP John Whittingdale on more than 20 plots cited by MI5 targeting exiled Iranian journalists, Mousavi denied Iranian involvement and pushed for bilateral security discussions instead.
“If you have any evidence, please submit it, and we will consider it,” he said.
Mousavi said Tehran was ready to co-operate with British agencies but deflected on specific allegations.
In the meeting with Mousavi, MP Whittingdale said he had visited the headquarters of Iran International "whose journalists have been subjected to threats from Iran on a daily basis."
The lawmaker, who leads the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Media Freedom, also cited constant harassment of the families of BBC Persian journalists in Iran.
Mousavi appeared before the UK parliament a few days before the family of an Iran International presenter was detained in Tehran in what the Persian-language broadcaster called an attempt to coerce her resignation.
“This deeply reprehensible tactic marks a dangerous escalation,” Iran International said.
Earlier this month, the BBC also accused Iran of intensifying its harassment of BBC Persian journalists by threatening their families inside Iran. The broadcaster described the actions as “a sharp and deeply troubling escalation” of its long-running campaign of intimidation.
RSF urges global action
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday called for global action over what it described as Iran’s escalating use of transnational repression, which appears to have intensified in response to the uncensored coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict.
In a statement, the RSF said it has documented the targeting of hundreds of Iranian diaspora journalists abroad, warning that these actions form part of a broader strategy by Iranian authorities to suppress dissent and restrict press freedom beyond their borders.
In March, the UK government decided to place the Islamic Republic’s intelligence and security establishment on the highest tier of its foreign influence watchlist following threats to Iranian journalists over the past three years.
Under the designation, Iran and anybody acting on its behalf would be deemed a potential security threat and compelled to register their activities in the UK. Not doing so would potentially incur a five-year prison sentence.
The judiciary’s official news outlet, Mizan, reported on Wednesday that Edris Aali, Azad Shojaei, and Rasoul Ahmad Mohammad were put to death at Urmia Central Prison in northwest Iran.
The three were charged with "corruption on earth" and "enmity against God," accusations often levied in cases involving alleged collaboration with foreign governments.
Authorities said the men had worked to smuggle components hidden in shipments of alcoholic beverages, which they claim were ultimately used in the assassination of a high-ranking Iranian official.
While Iranian state media did not name Fakhrizadeh directly in its recent coverage, the allegations correspond with earlier reports linking the men to his killing.
Fakhrizadeh, a senior officer in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and a prominent figure in its nuclear development efforts, was shot dead in an attack east of Tehran in November 2020. Iran has blamed Israel for orchestrating the assassination.
Contested confessions and accusations of torture
Human rights organizations have raised concerns about the case. According to an exclusive report by Iran International, all three men—reportedly Kurdish cross-border porters known as kolbars—were convicted based on confessions obtained under severe duress.
Aali and Shojaei were reportedly detained for months in Ministry of Intelligence facilities before being transferred to Urmia Prison.
Family members told media outlets the men denied involvement and said their televised confessions were extracted under torture. Ahmad Mohammad, an Iraqi national from the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, was arrested two years after the killing, allegedly after his phone number was found in Aali’s contact list.
Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the assassination, though officials have not denied involvement. In the years following the incident, Israeli media and intelligence sources have described it as a remote-controlled, AI-assisted operation using a weapon smuggled into Iran in parts and reassembled inside the country.
An Israeli intelligence officer told Channel 12 in 2022 that the operation relied on facial recognition to avoid harming Fakhrizadeh’s wife, who was in the car with him, and took less than three minutes to carry out.
Iran’s former Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said in 2022 that efforts to apprehend the main perpetrators had failed, with several suspects fleeing the country shortly after the attack.
Fakhrizadeh, long described by Western intelligence agencies as the architect of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, was sanctioned by the United Nations and had survived previous assassination attempts.
The ongoing war began on June 13 with waves of Israeli airstrikes across Iran.
“Hundreds of civilians, including women and children, have been killed in the Israeli airstrikes and millions have fled major cities for fear of further attacks,” the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran and the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran said in an online statement, describing the Iranian population as “traumatized.”
Israel says it is targeting military objectives. However, UN experts say some of Israel’s actions appear to violate the principle of distinction under international humanitarian law, including the strike on Iran’s state broadcaster (IRIB), and the targeted killing of scientists.
At least 950 people have been killed and 3,450 injured in Israeli strikes across Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The dead include 380 civilians, 253 military personnel, and 317 individuals of unknown status. Israeli attacks have hit 25 provinces, damaging homes, hospitals, and critical infrastructure.
Lack of 'effective' advance warning
The UN Human Rights Council’s Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur on Iran have also raised concerns. Among those reported killed were residents of an apartment complex, three aid workers from the Iranian Red Crescent, and patients at a hospital in Kermanshah, according to the report. Other sites struck include a clinic for children with autism.
The UN said a lack of effective advance warning may have prevented civilians from reaching safety, raising concerns over compliance with the principles of proportionality, distinction, and precaution.
Airstrikes and evacuation orders have triggered mass displacement in Iran, with millions leaving Tehran. Limited access to shelters, fuel shortages, and disruption of essential services have increased civilian vulnerability.
Iranian counterstrikes have caused casualties and damage in Israel, with at least 24 killed and 1,217 injured, according to authorities. One missile struck a hospital in southern Israel, injuring staff and patients and forcing evacuations. Other strikes hit residential areas, prompting sirens across the country.
While many projectiles were intercepted, some got through, causing fires, power outages, and structural damage.
Internet blackout
On June 18, Iran’s Ministry of Communications imposed widespread internet restrictions, further complicating efforts by civilians to coordinate evacuations or contact family. The UN says this digital blackout has made it more difficult to assess the full scale of the humanitarian impact.
UN experts have also noted reports of arbitrary arrests of journalists, activists, social media users, and Afghan nationals accused of espionage. At least two people have reportedly been executed, and Iranian authorities have announced expedited trials, raising concerns overdue process.
Target: Evin Prison
One of the sites hit in Tehran on Monday was Evin Prison, which houses political prisoners and human rights activists, among other inmates. Iran’s judiciary said the strike damaged parts of the facility. State television broadcast footage of emergency responders carrying casualties and searching through rubble.
Israel’s defense minister said the military struck “regime targets and agencies of government repression,” including Evin.
Amnesty International condemned the attack, calling it a potential war crime, and urged Iranian authorities to release those arbitrarily detained and relocate others away from sites at risk of future strikes. The group also warned against the use of force by prison officials in response to unrest among detainees.
The UN called on Iranian authorities to relocate prisoners held near potential strike sites and urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law.
“The escalating hostilities pose grave risks to civilians across the region,” the Fact-Finding Mission and Special Rapporteur said, “with ordinary families and communities bearing the brunt of a conflict that threatens their safety, livelihoods, and daily lives.”
