BBC Persian staff in London have accused the Iranian regime of escalating intimidation tactics by threatening and harassing their families in Iran, in a campaign designed to silence independent journalism abroad. The BBC says the pressure has intensified this year, with relatives of journalists being interrogated, threatened with prison, job loss, and asset seizure — all due to their connection with journalists working for the broadcaster’s Farsi-language service.
According to Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, the Iranian state is now using family members as “a means of coercion,” hoping to force BBC journalists to either abandon their reporting or return to Iran. “This is clearly designed to exploit family ties,” Davie said, adding that the BBC is preparing to submit a formal complaint to the UN Human Rights Council.
BBC Journalists Describe Orchestrated ‘Psychological Warfare’
Staff at BBC Persian, part of the BBC World Service, described a “sharp and deeply troubling escalation” in threats and intimidation, characterising the campaign as a shift from harassment to punishment by association. Journalist Behrang Tajdin said: “They are trying to make our families’ lives miserable… it’s not just harassment any more. It is punishment – and only for being related to someone.”
Tajdin explained that many journalists are left in tears and fear as their families are dragged into long interrogations by Iranian intelligence officials. He added that the scale of intimidation has grown “exponentially” and described it as a form of psychological warfare. “When we go to work, we have to try to forget we have a family,” he said. “Otherwise, we couldn’t continue.”
BBC Persian’s Global Reach Makes Staff a Target
With an estimated weekly audience of 22 million viewers, BBC Persian’s influence has long drawn the ire of Tehran. Staff say they are now being targeted more aggressively because previous attempts by the Iranian regime to silence them — including threats of rape, murder, and surveillance — have failed. In one earlier case, a BBC journalist was told, “It doesn’t matter that you don’t live in Iran – we can also do whatever we want in London.”
The campaign has not been limited to threats. In March 2023, an Iranian journalist was stabbed outside his London home, prompting him to leave the country. According to Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism officers, there have been over 20 “threat-to-life” incidents linked to Iran in the UK in recent years.
Ongoing Legal Action and Government Scrutiny
Three men have been charged under the UK’s National Security Act in connection with Iranian threats against Iran International, another UK-based Persian-language outlet. The issue has been raised in Parliament, with MPs calling for stronger protections for foreign-based journalists and sanctions against regimes responsible for transnational repression.
As the BBC prepares its case to the UN, journalists hope the international community will hold Iran accountable for targeting innocent family members in its effort to stifle free expression.
