Although many western countries contributed a token number of sailors, only the UK has provided ships. The US last month launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational US-led force to protect the sea lanes. The militia controls northern Yemen, the strategic port of Hodeidah and the capital Sana’a, but the Saudi-backed and UN-recognised government of Yemen based in the south opposes the attacks on shipping. “Iran proudly announces that it supports Palestinian resistance movements for the liberation of their land,” he said, chastising Cameron’s intervention.Īlthough the Houthis are supported by Iran, their ability to take on the US navy is limited. The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, said there was no reason to accuse Iran but added that Tehran stood squarely behind “Palestinian resistance movements”. On Sunday, hours before the high-level meeting between the Iranians and Houthis, David Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, rang his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, to warn him that Britain held Tehran partly responsible for the attacks. The leader of the Yemeni Houthi militia, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, had already warned that his forces would target American battleships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Gulf of Aden in the event of any attack against Yemen by Washington. We know the Iranian regime has established a pattern of this type of behaviour which is completely unacceptable, yet sadly typical of the regime and its lack of respect for basic rights.The Houthis have said the attacks, which have been disrupting the Red Sea for more than three weeks, will continue until Israel allows full supplies of humanitarian aid into Gaza. “We will not tolerate any threat to media organisations or journalists. “Media freedom is a vital part of our society and journalists must be able to investigate and report independently without fear,” a government spokesperson said. Shortly after, an unnamed British-Iranian citizen was arrested in Iran for allegedly sharing information with foreign-based news channels. In November, British-Iranian journalists based in the UK were warned by police of imminent threats, which prompted increased security measures and calls from the House of Commons for the UK to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group. The Austrian national will appear at the Old Bailey on 3 March. Magomed-Husekjn Dovtaev, 30, appeared in court last week and pleaded not guilty. Last week, a man was charged with terrorism after collecting information outside the channel’s Chiswick headquarters. “The situation that journalists face around the world and the fact that some journalists face such hostile intentions of foreign states whilst in the UK is a challenging reality that we are determined to confront,” he said. Police and M15 have foiled 15 plots since the start of 2022 to kidnap or kill British or UK-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime, according to Juke. The advice for it to relocate has not been “taken lightly” said the head of counter-terrorism policing, Matt Jukes. Iran International, which aims to serve as a balanced and impartial source for many Iranians, has covered recent protests and been described as a “terrorist” organisation by the regime. The threat is one of many the Persian-language channel has faced since anti-government protests began in Iran in 2022, sparked by outrage over the death of Mahsa Amini’s death in custody.Īs the regime’s deadly crackdown has intensified, so too has its scrutiny of foreign-based news channels. “We refuse to be silenced by these cowardly threats. The channel will continue its output from its Washington DC site, while Afghanistan International TV continues as normal to broadcast from the London studios.Įnayat described the escalation as a threat to the British public, calling it an “assault” on the values of sovereignty, security and free speech. A foreign state has caused such a significant threat to the British public on British soil that we have to move,” said Mahmood Enayat, the station’s general manager.
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