Iran International is a Persian-language satellite TV news channel that provides independent and uncensored coverage of events to viewers both in Iran and the diaspora. It was founded in May 2017 and is headquartered in London. The influential channel reaches millions inside of Iran, and has become a target of the regime due to its fearless reporting on human rights violations, LGBTQ rights and women’s rights in the country. In 2022, the regime declared Iran International a “terrorist organization” and threatened that its staff would be pursued by the Ministry of Intelligence.
In February 2023, Iran International was forced to temporarily move its headquarters to Washington, D.C. due to credible threats from the Iranian regime agents against its UK-based journalists. They returned their headquarters to London in September 2023. In January 2024, the British Foreign Office announced sanctions against members of the IRGC following an investigation into plans to assassinate two of the channel’s presenters in the UK.
On March 29th, 2024, Iran International television anchor Pouria Zeraati was stabbed outside his London residence. Zeraati returned to broadcasting his show just days later, on April 5th. “The show must go on,” he said.
Pouria Zeraati and executive editor Aliasghar Ramezanpour, who was convicted by the regime in abstentia for “propoganda against the government,” will accept the 2024 Geneva Summit Courage Award on Iran International’s behalf.
