Iran sanctions BBC Persian

The Islamic Republic has been lashing out at London-based Iranian news outlets for their coverage of the anti-government protests in Iran.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions yesterday against Persian-language media outlets in the United Kingdom.

The list included BBC Persian as well as Iran International and its parent company Volant Media. The British media conglomerates Global Media Group and DMA Media were also sanctioned, as were the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Center and Government Communications Headquarters, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

What it means: The move presumably criminalizes working with the outlets and freezes any assets they may have in Iran. Journalists from Iranian news outlets that are critical of the government were already unlikely to travel to Iran due to prosecution they could face there.

Why it matters: The Iranian government is growing increasingly critical of Persian-language media outlets based in the United Kingdom that have been heavily covering the ongoing protests in Iran. Last week, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini criticized “British Shia” for “creating discord” in the country. One analyst told Al-Monitor it was a reference to BBC Persian, Iran International and other such media outlets. In September, Iran summoned the British ambassador over what it said was “hostile reporting” by Persian-language news outlets in the United Kingdom.

The leader of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also recently criticized Saudi Arabia over coverage of the protests. Iran International is reportedly funded by the kingdom.

Know more: Iran has an extensive list of sanctioned entities and individuals, many of them Americans, such as former US President Donald Trump.