Iran International

Iran International (Persian: ایران اینترنشنال‎) is a British-based Persian television station funded by Saudi investors.[1][2][3] It is aimed at Iranian viewers[1] and broadcasts free-to-air by satellite.

Iran International
Launched18 May 2017 (2017-05-18)
Owned byVolant Media UK Ltd
LanguagePersian
Broadcast areaWorldwide
HeadquartersChiswick, London, UK
Timeshift service24/7
Websiteiranintl.com
Availability
Satellite
Astra 2G (28.2°E)11671 H 23000 2/3 (HD)
Eutalsat A/B (7.0°E)11220 H 27503
Streaming media
Live FarsiWatch live

The channel reports on the latest developments in Iran and across the Middle East, and is accessible via satellite and terrestrial TV, social media, web and Video-on-Demand, streamed live from London.

Ownership

Iran International is owned by Volant Media UK Ltd.[4] It is licensed in the United Kingdom to Global Media Circulating Ltd as an editorial news service based in London.[5] It was launched on 18 May 2017[6] and is managed by DMA Media Ltd, which has bureaus in Paris, Istanbul, Kabul and Washington.[7]

In October 2018, The Guardian reported that the TV channel is funded by the government of Saudi Arabia through a "secretive offshore entity and a company whose director is a Saudi Arabian businessman with close links to the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman". One source stated $250 million had been provided, which was estimated to cover five years of operation costs.[8]

Iran International deny these claims, stating that it is owned by a private limited company based in London, with private individuals as shareholders, and has no connection to the Saudi or any government.[8][9][10]

Volant Media, the company that owns Iran International, has a director named Adel Abdulkarim, who is a Saudi national. Adel Abdulkarim is a long time business partner with Abdulrahman al-Rashed, former general manager of the Saudi-owned news channel Al Arabiya and current board member of Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG).[11] According to the report by The Guardian, Abdulrahman al-Rashed was also involved in the operations and funding behind Iran International.[11]

Corporate documents for Volant Media shows that another Saudi national, Fahad Ibrahim Aldeghither, was the major shareholder of Volant Media before Adel Abdukarim.[4] Aldeghither owned over 75% of the shares of Volant Media from May 2016 to May 2018.[4] Fahad Ibrahim Aldeghither was the chairman of Mobile Telecommunication Company Saudi Arabia (Zain) from March 2013 to February 2016. Zain Saudi is the third-largest telecoms provider in Saudi Arabia.[12]

Content
Iran International studio

According to Middle East Eye, Iran International is a media platform for the Iranian opposition.[13] Kourosh Ziabari of Al-Monitor wrote it "does not shy away from presenting itself as an opposition media organization" and frequently gives the microphone to guests who criticize the Iranian government.[14] The channel has been referred to as an "Iranian exile news outlet" by Borzou Daragahi of The Independent.[15]

The channel is known for raising the profile of Reza Pahlavi, the last heir apparent to the former Iranian throne, by constant coverage and repeatedly interviewing him.[13] It also airs extensive coverage of People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), including live broadcast of their rallies.[8] The claim of responsibility for the Ahvaz military parade attack was made through Iran International.[3]

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, Iran International published a letter allegedly sent by an Iranian private company named Irgan Mehr to officials in the Ministry of Health that suggested Barakat Foundation and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are competing against each other to obtain exclusive import rights from MiCo BioMed, a South Korean company. Fox News wrote that the documents published by Iran International could not be independently verified.[16] The documents were shared with The Independent, whose correspondent wrote that they "purported to show how Iran regime figures intervened in the procurement of medical supplies to steer South Korean contracts for Covid-19 test-kits through shell companies towards conservative foundations controlled by cronies".[17]

In 2020, the TV broadcast performance of Iranian singers who were flown in from the United States to the Winter at Tantora Festival.[13]

Iran International does not run television advertisements.[8]

Iranian complaint to Ofcom

In 2018 Iran's ambassador to the UK lodged a complaint to the media regulator because of Iran International's interview with a separatist group spokesman after they claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack on a military parade in Ahvaz in Khuzestan Province, killing 25 civilians and military.[18] The channel aired an interview with Yaqoub Hor Altostari, presented as a spokesman for the group, indirectly claiming responsibility for the attack and calling it "resistance against legitimate targets".[19] After a long investigation Ofcom ruled that Iran International did not breach any rules.[20][21]

Alleged lack of editorial independence

Though the TV station states that it "adheres to strict international standards of impartiality, balance and accountability",[22] questions has been raised regarding its editorial independence.[8][22]

In October 2018, The Guardian wrote an unnamed insider states that the editorial content had been influenced by its investors.[8]

According to The Wall Street Journal, "[s]ome journalists at Iran International have complained that management is pushing a pro-Saudi, anti-Iran line". WSJ quoted a former correspondent at the TV station commenting that "a systematic and very persistent push" was made during her time there.[22]

Union busting

Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) told Press Gazette "[o]ur members at Iran International have faced intimidation and harassment for their work as journalists —that their rights of freedom of association should be trampled on in this way is a grave injustice and one that the NUJ will do all it can to rectify".[23]

On 10 July 2020, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released a statement and condemned union busting efforts made by Iran International, its refusal to engage with the UK government's non-departmental public body Acas to recognize a NUJ chapel, as well as what it called a "breach of international labour standards".[24] Iran International had signed a recognition deal with the British Association of Journalists (BAJ), which IFJ describes as a "sweetheart deal" with an "obscure journalists' union", and appointed a senior manager to represent staff while pressuring them to join BAJ.[24] NUJ stated that BAJ had no members there before the deal was made.[23] As of July 2020, BAJ claimed 20 members working at Iran International while NUJ said an "overwhelming majority" of the 140 workers are its members.[23]

On 15 July 2020, it was reported that Labour peer Lord John Hendy submitted a complaint to International Labour Organization (ILO) against the BAJ and Iran International.[25]

Plagiarism accusation
Logos for meidaan.com (left) and Iran International's programme (right)

In 2018, Iran International launched a new programme named Meidaan (lit. 'square'), which shared name with meidaan.com, a website active since 2014. The website which used 'step into the square' as its slogan, complained that the channel not only did use the exact same phrase in promoting the show, but also has copied its logo with minor alterations.[26]

Persecution of Iran International staff

In December 2019, Shanti Das of The Times reported that Iran is waging an "intimidation campaign" against personnel of the TV station, freezing their assets, interrogating their relatives and "threatening to snatch them from British streets if they do not quit their jobs". Iran's Ministry of Intelligence had previously named the employees of Iran International as "enemy of the state", writing on its website that those who "serve foreigners" and "betray the country" will be punished.[27] Same publication wrote in May 2020 that Iran International is thought to be target of a state-sponsored programme that "has sought to discredit its reporting and trace its followers" by creating replicas of its social media accounts. Instagram was criticized for hosting the fake accounts.[28]

Staff

The head of TV is Mahmood Enayat[29], the editor-in-chief of the channel is Hossein Rassam,[6] who was formerly chief political analyst at the British embassy in Tehran.[30] Ali-Asghar Ramezanpour is the news director of the station.[31]

In July 2019, Iranian media reported Mazdak Mirzaei, a football commentator and TV host joined Iran International. Mirzaei had worked for IRIB on the weekly TV sports program Navad, that was suspended by the new head of IRIB 3 in March 2019.[14]

Accolades
Award Year Organizer Result Ref
International Channel of the Year 2019 Association for International Broadcasting Nominated [32]

References
  1. Kerr, Simeon; England, Andrew; O’Murchu, Cynthia (8 January 2019), "Saudi-backed broadcaster launches video challenge to Netflix", Financial Times, retrieved 17 July 2020, Saudi investors have also established a London-based Farsi language news network, Iran International, to serve Iranian viewers.
  2. Eqbali, Aresu; Rasmussen, Sune Engel (22 September 2018), "Separatists Launch Deadly Attack on Iranian Military Parade", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved 17 July 2020, Yaqoub al-Tostari was speaking to Iran International TV, a London-based broadcaster funded by Saudi investors.
  3. "Iran's troubles are mounting at home and abroad", The Economist, 27 September 2018, retrieved 17 July 2020, One of the groups that claimed responsibility for the attack did so through Iran International, a television station based in Britain and funded by Saudi investors.
  4. "VOLANT MEDIA UK LTD - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.
  5. "Ofcom Home - Licensing Home - TV Cable and Satellite". Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  6. Rosen, Armin (5 October 2018). "Iranian exiles use creativity and tech smarts to get real news past the regime's censors". Fast Company. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  7. "Iran International". DMA Media. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  8. Kamali Dehghan, Saeed (31 October 2018). "Concern over UK-based Iranian TV channel's links to Saudi Arabia". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  9. "Iran sees UK as 'Small Satan' but Brits 'should not fear attack'". Evening Standard. 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  10. Das, Shanti. "Iran threatens to 'snatch' Farsi reporters from British soil". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  11. correspondent, Saeed Kamali Dehghan Iran (2018-10-31). "Concern over UK-based Iranian TV channel's links to Saudi Arabia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  12. "New chairman for telecom provider Zain Saudi". Reuters. 2013-03-23. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  13. Faghihi, Rohollah (20 March 2020), "Backlash in Iran after singers perform at Saudi Arabia festival", Middle East Eye, retrieved 17 July 2020
  14. Ziabari, Kourosh (2019-08-19). "Is Iran's national broadcaster being pushed to brink of irrelevance?". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  15. "How governments and criminals use coronavirus to make big bucks". The Independent. 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  16. McKay, Hollie (2020-05-06). "Iran faces further allegations of corruption in coronavirus fallout". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  17. "How governments and criminals use coronavirus to make big bucks". The Independent. 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  18. "Deadly gun attack at Iran military parade". 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  19. "Iran points finger at Arab separatists for deadly attack". France 24. 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  20. Waterson, Jim (2019-03-26). "Iran TV station did not break rules over interview praising attack – Ofcom". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  21. Radio, Farda (27 March 2019). "Persian TV Channel Did Not Break Rules, British Media Regulator Says". RFE/RL. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  22. Jones, Rory; Faucon, Benoit; Hagey, Keach (8 February 2019), "Saudi Arabia Sought Vice's Help to Build a Media Empire", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved 17 July 2020
  23. Tobitt, Charlotte (17 July 2020), "UK-based Iran International journalists' rights 'trampled' amid threats from Iranian state", Press Gazette, archived from the original on 19 July 2020, retrieved 17 July 2020
  24. International Federation of Journalists (14 July 2020). "IFJ condemns the actions of Iran International to frustrate the recognition process of its affiliate, the NUJ" (Press release). Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  25. "Union-busting British Association of Journalist to be reported to the UN's International Labour Organisation", National Union of Journalists, 15 July 2020, retrieved 17 July 2020
  26. "Which Meidaan (Square) are you stepping in?", Meidaan, 8 November 2018, retrieved 17 July 2020
  27. Das, Shanti. "Iran threatens to 'snatch' Farsi reporters from British soil". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  28. Ball, Tom. "Instagram accused of endangering Iran critics". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  29. "Mahmoud Enayat is the New GM of Iran International". Iran International. 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  30. "British embassy worker in Iran has sentence commuted". BBC News. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  31. "The twopenny-halfpenny war by Reuters & 'Iranintl' on Iran". PressTV.
  32. "The AIBs 2019 The Shortlist" (PDF). Association for International Broadcasting. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
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