BBC Persian Journalists Say Iran Is Monitoring Them and Targeting Their Families

Exiled journalists working for BBC Persian have come forward with troubling claims that the Iranian government is actively monitoring their activities abroad and targeting their family members back in Iran in retaliation for their reporting. The allegations highlight a pattern of what rights groups describe as transnational repression, aimed at intimidating journalists and discouraging independent coverage of domestic unrest and political developments.
The Guardian +1
The journalists, who operate out of the UK but report on events inside Iran, say that Iranian authorities have repeatedly threatened their relatives with interrogations, detention, and economic punishment unless they cease their work. The accusations, detailed in recent testimony to The Guardian, describe a systematic campaign to leverage family ties, forcing reporters to grapple not only with professional risks but also deep personal anguish.
The Guardian
Surveillance Beyond the Border
Staff members report that Iranian security forces appear to possess detailed information about their movements, work routines, and even specific desk locations inside their London newsroom. One BBC journalist, speaking anonymously for fear of putting relatives at further risk, said his father in Iran had been summoned for questioning and shown precise details about the journalist’s work and life abroad.
The Guardian
“They knew everything about me somehow,” the journalist recalled, referring to warnings relayed through his detained father. “They said they know where I live. They even gave my father the address, the telephone number, where I’m sitting exactly in the newsroom.”
The Guardian
Other staff described similar episodes in which Tehran security services threatened severe consequences — ranging from asset seizures to potential detention — against family members if the journalists did not stop their reporting. The tactics reportedly escalate particularly around sensitive periods of unrest or after critical broadcasts.
The Guardian
Targeting Family Members in Iran
According to the journalists, family members have faced interrogations, business license revocations, travel restrictions, and asset freezes. In one case, a correspondent’s mother was detained during a period of internet blackout that followed widespread protests, leaving the journalist unable to contact her for weeks.
The Guardian
Other witnesses reported that colleagues had left their roles due to the financial pressures placed on families, often struggling to support relatives under duress. Some say that family members’ jobs were threatened or revoked by authorities as a means of exerting economic pressure.
The Guardian
Rights groups say these actions are not isolated incidents but rather part of a broader effort by the Iranian state to silence external voices it perceives as hostile. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned what it calls a “relentless campaign” of threats and intimidation against Iranian journalists working from abroad and their relatives inside Iran. RSF has also called on authorities in Tehran to halt the attacks and for the UK government to work with allies to protect journalists and their families.
rsf.org
A Pattern of Transnational Pressure
The BBC’s own leadership has repeatedly raised concerns about the escalating intimidation. A complaint submitted to the United Nations detailed how Iranian authorities have characterized independent reporting as “media terrorism” and used national security laws to justify targeting journalists and their families. The broadcasters claim that critics have attempted to categorize independent coverage as a threat to Iran’s stability — a narrative used to justify repression.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has also urged the UN to condemn these actions, calling them a blatant abuse of legal systems to suppress free press and free expression. NUJ officials highlighted decades of harassment, from deportation threats to passport confiscations for relatives linked to BBC Persian staff.
Psychological and Practical Toll
Journalists at BBC Persian have described the emotional cost of this pressure as severe. Beyond threats of legal action against family members, the uncertainty about loved ones’ safety has taken a psychological toll. Some have recounted missing family funerals or unable to care for sick relatives due to fear of further retaliation.
The Guardian
One journalist explained the burden of carrying “shame” for living freely abroad while loved ones endured hardship at home. “You feel guilty because it’s my choice to be a journalist and be out of Iran — the pressure is on them,” the journalist said.
The Guardian
International and UK Response
The situation has drawn condemnation in the UK and beyond. Human rights advocates argue that targeting reporters’ families represents a serious violation of international norms regarding press freedom. The UK government has been urged to offer enhanced protection for journalists and to raise the issue in diplomatic dialogues with Iranian representatives.
Despite repeated calls for Iran to cease these actions, Tehran has not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the allegations, and the pressure on journalists continues at a time of heightened domestic unrest and restricted communications inside Iran.
Broader Context
The intensified targeting of BBC Persian journalists and their relatives reflects a broader climate of repression toward independent media and dissent within and outside Iran. As global concerns around press freedom grow, cases like these are viewed by rights organizations as critical tests of international mechanisms to protect journalists and uphold human rights in the face of state-sponsored intimidation.