Britain Summons Iranian Diplomat Over “Serious Threats” To U.K. Journalists

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has summoned Iran's most senior diplomat in London following a series of “serious threats against journalists” living in the U.K.

"I summoned the Iranian representative today to make clear that we do not tolerate threats to life and intimidation of any kind towards journalists, or any individual, living in the U.K.," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement on November 11.

The move comes after Volant Media, the parent company of London-based Persian-language news channel Iran International said that two of its British-Iranian journalists working in Britain have received "death threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.”

Meanwhile, the Iranian intelligence minister called Iran International a "terrorist organization." He warned that any kind of connection with the media outlet “will be considered to be tantamount to entering the field of terrorism and a threat to national security.”

Also this week, Iranian state media published the photos, names and addresses of nine exiled reporters who are set to cover the 2022 World Cup starting later this month in Qatar, warning them it would be their "last supper."

The journalists are working for Iran International and two other London-based Persian-language news channels: the BBC Persian Service and Manoto.

Iran has been rocked by a wave of protests since the September death of a 22-year-old woman the custody of Tehran’s morality police. The largely peaceful demonstrations triggered a heavy-handed crackdown in which security forces killed more than 300 people. Thousands of people have been arrested or detained, including dozens of journalists.

Cleverly said the Iranian regime has responded to the nationwide protests “with the suppression of freedom of expression and the targeting of media outlets operating in Iran.”