A man jailed in the UK for conducting surveillance on Iran International has been released early and deported to Austria, despite being sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for gathering intelligence that could have aided a terrorist attack.
Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, a 33-year-old Austrian national of Chechen origin, was freed last week after serving around 28 months of his sentence and returned to Austria, where authorities have indicated they will take no further action.
According to records cited by The Sunday Times, Dovtaev told a parole hearing he had been offered €50,000 to carry out reconnaissance on the broadcaster’s London office, describing the task as an opportunity “to make easy money.”
He admitted that the information he gathered could have been used to facilitate a potential terrorist attack, though the police were unable to prove who had tasked him with the operation despite strongly suspecting he was acting on the orders of Iran, according to The Times.
Dovtaev was arrested in February 2023 after filming security arrangements at Iran International’s headquarters at Chiswick Business Park. He was later charged with a single count of attempting to collect information "likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism."
During the course of the trial, the police released footage of Dovtaev gathering information around the office building that housed Iran International and recording videos of the area.
Prosecutors said Dovtaev covertly filmed material on his phone in order to "identify vulnerabilities" in the media company's security which could be exploited by others for terrorism.
During a hearing on March 19, 2026, "Dovtaev told the panel that he had been given an opportunity to make ‘easy money’, where he would be paid fifty-thousand euros [£43,347] to go to the [Iran International] building and undertake reconnaissance because two business partners were in dispute.”
“Mr Dovtaev has accepted that it was likely he was being used to gather intelligence on the security situation at the building, with a possible terrorist attack to follow," according to a summary of the hearing reviewed by The Times.
After the hearing, the parole panel concluded he no longer posed a risk to the public, noting his actions were driven by “greed” and “recklessness” rather than ideology.
Threats continue
On February 18, 2023, a week after Dovtaev's arrest, Iran International announced that it decided to temporarily move its studio operations to the United States upon the order of UK anti-terrorism officials.
After months of hiatus in broadcasting from the UK due to terrorist threats by Tehran, the network resumed operations from a new London building on September 25, 2023.
However, an incident earlier this month showed the network remains under threat.
On April 17, 2026, British police charged three people over an attempted arson attack near the London offices of Iran International.
Police said a burning container was thrown towards the broadcaster’s headquarters in north-west London. No one was injured, but the case has added to concerns about the safety of Persian-language media in Britain.
In a separate case on April 18, Iran International received reports that an Iranian man was violently assaulted in central London. The Metropolitan Police are understood to be investigating.
The cases have drawn renewed attention to concerns among British officials over the use of criminal proxies by foreign states, including Iran, to carry out surveillance and attacks while maintaining plausible deniability.
On Thursday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced concern over Tehran’s activities in the United Kingdom, saying he was “very worried” about the increasing use of proxies by foreign states including the Islamic Republic.
He pledged to introduce legislation to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the next parliamentary session. “We go into a new session in a few weeks' time, and we'll bring that legislation forward."
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday that Iran was struggling to determine its leadership, pointing to what he described as infighting between “hardliners” and “moderates.”
“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!” Trump wrote, adding that internal divisions were “crazy” and tied to battlefield losses and political rivalries.
The remarks came as the continued absence of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei from public view and reported disputes over engagement with Washington have drawn scrutiny to internal dynamics within the Islamic Republic.
Officials project unity after remarks
An account attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei reposted part of his Nowruz message warning of “enemy psychological operations” aimed at undermining national unity and security.
Senior officials echoed similar messaging in coordinated posts. President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote that distinctions between political factions were invalid.
“In Iran there are no ‘hardliners’ or ‘moderates’… We are all Iranians and revolutionaries,” they wrote, adding that unity and obedience to the Supreme Leader would ensure victory.
Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei described such labels as “fabricated and baseless,” saying all factions operate cohesively under the leadership.
Other figures, including senior military commanders and advisers, issued similar statements stressing allegiance to “one leader,” in what appeared to be a coordinated response.
Divisions persist over policy and negotiations
Despite the messaging, recent developments suggest internal disagreements remain. In March, Pezeshkian apologized for attacks attributed to Iranian forces on neighboring countries, attributing them to actors operating independently, drawing criticism from military-linked figures.
Conflicting signals also emerged last week over maritime policy, when Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz before the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps indicated renewed restrictions due to ongoing pressures.
Reports have also pointed to disputes over nuclear negotiations with the United States. According to information received by Iran International, disagreements between officials aligned with the government and figures linked to Mojtaba Khamenei disrupted plans for talks in Islamabad.
Sources familiar with the matter said negotiators were instructed not to engage on the nuclear file, prompting Araghchi to describe participation as “essentially futile” and warning that such a stance would end the process.
Earlier reporting also indicated that Ghalibaf criticized opponents of a deal with Washington in internal discussions, describing them as contributing to the country’s decline.
“Prices here have increased tenfold and rice and cooking oil are hard to find,” one resident wrote from Zahedan in southeastern Iran, pointing to worsening access to staple goods.
Other citizens described the rapid erosion of purchasing power. “We go to sleep and wake up to everything being twice as expensive,” one message said, reflecting widespread concern over accelerating inflation.
Food costs climb, access narrows
Messages from multiple cities highlighted steep increases in the cost of everyday items. Citizens said even the most basic foods were becoming unaffordable, with eggs, rice and cooking oil among the hardest hit.
“Eggs have become so expensive they are being removed from our tables,” one citizen wrote, describing the shrinking range of affordable protein options.
Restaurant prices were also cited as an indicator of inflation. Citizens said a single serving of kebab now costs between 5,000,000 and 6,000,000 rials (about $3.10 to $3.75), while a plate of chicken with rice ranges from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 rials (about $1.90 to $2.50). Soft drinks were reported to exceed 1,000,000 rials (about $0.60).
Based on an exchange rate of around 1,600,000 rials per dollar, the new minimum monthly wage of 162,550,000 rials is equivalent to roughly $104. This comes as annual inflation had already exceeded 70 percent before the start war on February 28, reaching its highest level since World War II.
As of late 2025/early 2026, average Iranian incomes have contracted to roughly $200 per month.
Shortages compounded the problem. Messages described difficulty finding chicken in distribution centers and limits on purchasing cooking oil in shops. Others pointed to disruptions in supply chains linked to industrial slowdowns and rising production costs.
Economic journalist Arash Azarmi said the surge in food prices was hitting lower-income households hardest. “Eggs priced at 200,000 rials ($0.12) each are shocking. This is a basic food item, especially for lower-income households, and it is effectively being pushed out of their consumption basket,” Azarmi said.
Official data, he added, already showed food inflation exceeding 112 percent, with some categories such as cooking oil rising by more than 200 percent.
Iran’s monthly minimum wage for workers is set at one of the lowest levels compared to many countries in the region. Among Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, Pakistan and Lebanon, the lowest minimum wage belongs to Pakistan, where workers earn at least the equivalent of $133. This figure is about $201 in Lebanon, around $275 in Qatar, about $345 in Iraq, and $625 and $585 in Turkey and Oman, respectively.
Pressure spreads beyond food
Beyond rising prices, citizens said financial obligations continued to tighten during and after the conflict period, adding to the strain on households and businesses.
“During the war there was no tax relief, insurance was taken in full from the private sector, and all loans faced late penalties despite earlier promises,” one message said, describing continued pressure on businesses.
Another citizen pointed to mounting banking enforcement and legal follow-up tied to unpaid debts. “All checks were bounced, accounts were closed and legal action started. Loan installments were either collected with interest or deducted from guarantors,” the message read.
Business owners described a cycle of rising costs and falling demand. A clothing seller said prices for goods were increasing by around 35 percent each week, while customers’ ability to pay continued to decline.
Jobs scarce, costs rising
Citizens also pointed to a lack of job opportunities and growing difficulty in covering basic living expenses, including rent and utilities.
“There is no work and our savings are gone,” one citizen said, describing limited options for supplementing income.
Others reported rising bills even as businesses slowed or shut down. “We cannot pay rent, we cannot work,” another citizen wrote, pointing to disruptions affecting daily commerce.
Small business owners said they were increasingly operating at a loss. One restaurant operator said higher meat prices and reduced customer demand were pushing the business toward closure. “If this continues, we will shut down and pay rent from our own pockets,” the message read.
Experts warn of accelerating inflation
Economist Mohammad Machinechian said the pace of price increases had reached a point where monthly inflation was more relevant than annual figures.
“I’m no longer talking about annual inflation, but monthly inflation, and that is the reality we’re dealing with,” Machinechian said. “Even in the best-case scenario, inflation could average at least 5 percent a month, meaning prices rise around 80 percent over a year.”
Machinechian added that in a prolonged stalemate scenario, prices could triple over the year, while renewed conflict could push monthly inflation above 20 percent, leading to annual increases approaching 500 percent.
Azarmi described the situation as a “modern famine,” where goods remain available but are increasingly unaffordable for many households.
The accounts from citizens across the country depict an economy where rapid price increases, supply constraints and falling incomes are converging, leaving many struggling to secure even the most basic necessities.
