Journalist Stabbed in London Amid Ongoing Iran Intensity
Pouria Zeraati was brutally attacked in London, suffering multiple knife wounds. He remains hospitalized but is in stable condition. The Metropolitan Police have launched a full investigation.
Shadow of Iranian Regime Threat Looms Large
The motive behind the savage attack is still unclear. However, it follows closely on the heels of a foiled Iranian assassination plot targeting two Iran International journalists in London.
Scotland Yard confirmed they are probing the incident, with MI5 also notified. Iran International journalists have long faced threats due to their coverage of Iran and its critics.
Tight Security After Previous Terror Plot Foiled
- In November 2022, London police protected Iran International’s offices after receiving credible intelligence about threats to reporters.
- Operations moved temporarily to Washington DC earlier this year before returning to London in September 2023.
- In February 2023, police arrested Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, a Chechen-Austrian, for spying on Iran International’s London headquarters.
- He was sentenced in December to 3.5 years for gathering information likely useful for terrorism.
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ General Secretary, slammed the attack as “cowardly” and expressed hopes for Zeraati’s swift recovery. She warned the stabbing would raise fears among journalists targeted by hostile regimes.
MP Alicia Kearns, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, called the attack “deeply upsetting,” questioning whether the UK and allies have strong enough strategies to protect dissidents and their interests abroad.
ITV Uncovers Iranian Hit Plot
In December 2023, ITV revealed chilling details of an assassination plan by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to kill two Iran International anchors in London during last year’s protests.
The plot was dismantled thanks to a double-agent hitman relaying intel to Western agencies and ITV. It was masterminded by IRGC commander Mohammad Reza Ansari, notorious for orchestrating failed hits on US officials Mike Pompeo and John Bolton.
Ansari, linked to Syria’s Assad regime, instructed the killer to switch from car bombs to a “quiet” kitchen knife attack — cynically code-named “the wedding,” with the journalists dubbed “bride” and “groom.” The targets only learned of the chilling plan through the ITV exposé.
