Iranian assaulted in London amid concern over threats to regime critics

At least two young men have been killed by Basij and Revolutionary Guards forces at checkpoints in Iran in recent weeks, according to information received by Iran International.

One of them, identified as Morteza Madadi from Shahin Shahr in Isfahan province, was shot dead on March 8 by forces at a Basij checkpoint, sources said. He died after being hit in the chest.

Sources said his family has faced pressure and threats after seeking to pursue the case.

In a separate incident, a young man in Ramsar in northern Mazandaran province died after being stopped at a checkpoint and protesting during an inspection, according to local accounts.

He was attacked with a stun device by Basij forces and died at the scene, from cardiac arrest, the sources said, adding that his family has also been pressured not to publicize the case.

The incidents come as checkpoint controls have increased across the country, with citizens reporting vehicle stops, searches and phone inspections, according to messages sent to Iran International.

Oisin McGuinness, 21, Nathan Dunn, 19, and a 16-year-old boy were all charged with arson with intent to endanger life. McGuinness faces an additional charge of dangerous driving. All three suspects are British nationals and are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening when an ignited container was thrown into a car park near the network’s studios in northwest London. There were no reports of injuries or damage following the attempted attack. Officers pursued a black SUV which later crashed on Ballards Lane in Finchley.

In a statement, Iran International said the attack highlights increasing pressure on its journalists and their families, particularly following the recent war involving Iran.

The broadcaster said its staff and their relatives have faced threats and harassment, describing the situation as an effort to silence independent reporting.

A suspicious vehicle was denied entry at the main entrance of its site on the evening of April 15. Shortly afterward, incendiary devices were thrown into the car park of a neighboring building just meters from its studios.

“Our security team responded immediately, and the police and fire brigade arrived shortly afterwards. We are grateful to them for their swift response,” Iran International’s editorial board said in a statement.

London’s Metropolitan Police said on April 16 that three people aged 16, 19 and 21 had been arrested after an ignited container was thrown toward Iran International’s offices in north-west London. The container landed in a car park without causing damage or injury.

Police said the case is not currently being treated as terrorism but is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing London.

The incident comes amid a sharp increase in threats and pressure directed at Iran International journalists and their families, particularly following the recent war involving Iran.

“In recent months, particularly following the recent military operation in Iran, there has been a marked increase in harassment targeting the relatives of Iran International journalists inside Iran,” the statement said.

Security agents have raided the homes of the parents and close relatives of several journalists, questioning them and confiscating phones and other electronic devices.

The intimidation campaign has intensified at a time when Iran has imposed sweeping internet shutdowns across the country. The current near-total blackout has lasted more than six weeks, making it the longest nationwide shutdown on record.

Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency recently reported that prosecutors ordered the seizure of assets and freezing of bank accounts belonging to more than 100 individuals, including 63 journalists working for Iran International.

State media in Iran have also broadcast repeated threats against the channel, including calls for the network to be targeted by missiles.

“These actions amount to a campaign of transnational intimidation aimed at silencing independent journalism,” Iran International said.

In May 2024, United Nations experts warned that threats and violence against Iran International formed part of a broader pattern of repression targeting Persian-language journalists working abroad.

The channel temporarily relocated its operations from London to Washington in February 2023 following intelligence warnings of state-backed threats.

In March 2024, one of its presenters was stabbed outside his London home in an attack investigated by counter-terrorism police.

Iran International’s editorial board said the latest incident underscores the risks faced by journalists reporting on Iran from abroad.

“Journalists must not be threatened or attacked, and their families must not be used as a means of pressure,” the broadcaster said. “Such actions constitute an attack on individual safety, press freedom, and the public’s right to know.”

Senior Iranian officials have grown frustrated with a plan to generate revenue from shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with little money collected despite expectations of significant income, sources familiar with the matter told Iran International.

Iran moved early in the war to control traffic through the strait and charge tankers about $2 million for transit permits, setting up a committee led by Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

But the effort has produced limited results, with only about 60 permits issued, payment requests sent for just eight shipments and no funds collected so far, the sources said, citing weak management of the process.

The outcome has triggered concern at high levels of government and within the office of Iran’s supreme leader, they added.

Discussions have taken place about removing Zolghadr from the role and shifting oversight of the file to President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to the sources.

Sharp disagreements among members of Iran’s negotiating team led them to abandon US talks in Islamabad and return to Tehran on April 11 following an order from Iran's top security official, sources familiar with the deliberations told Iran International.

The sources said that during Friday’s negotiations with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi showed signs of flexibility in some of his positions, particularly regarding reducing or halting financial and military support for the so-called Axis of Resistance, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

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