Iranian media have renewed their censure of UK-based news channel Iran International, accusing it of being a mouthpiece of Israel.
Iranian state media often conduct smear campaigns against foreign-based Persian-language outlets, seeing them - particularly those based in London - as part of the West's "soft war" against Iran.
Recent developments behind the latest attack on Iran International include its exclusive report about Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system.
This came against the backdrop of an Israeli journalist's claim that Israel's Mossad agency has used the channel in an information war on Iran.
The TV's coverage of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MEK/MKO), an exiled Iranian opposition group, has also been criticised by Iranian media.
What triggered new attack?
Iran International said it was the first Persian-language outlet to report from the Iron Dome base.
It aired the report in early September, in which its correspondent interviewed the base's commander. The report was picked up by the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Persian Twitter account as well as media in Iran.
A moderate semi-official news agency, ISNA, described Iran International as "the Zionist regime's platform". It said it was funded by Saudi Arabia, "a regime which has the blood of journalists like Jamal Khashoggi on its hands". It said the TV gave air time to "criminal" groups, including the MKO and the separatist group of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz.
ISNA called for more media freedom in Iran to boost public trust in domestic media so that people became "more aware of the anti-Iranian mission and goals of this network".
ISNA and other outlets said Iran International and Israel were united in trying to derail the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal.
They cited a tweet by an Israeli diplomatic correspondent, Barak Ravid, as proof of the TV's links to Israeli intelligence. "Mossad is using this media outlet [Iran International] quite regularly for its information war," Ravid tweeted.
Ravid, however, has not backed up his claims with any strong evidence so far.
He made similar comments in June, and criticised the Israeli media for using Iran International as a source while failing to inform their audiences that it is a foreign-based "opposition" outlet. His tweet in Hebrew was cited by some news agencies in Iran.
Some Iranian websites have referred to the network as "Israel's propaganda tool" or "Saudi International".
Iran International's coverage
The TV launched in April 2017, on the eve of the presidential election in Iran. Its website says it presents news "without bias and prejudice".
In October 2018, The Guardian reported that the TV was run by a firm, Volant Media, with links to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Volant Media said it was a private company based in London and that its shareholders had no connections to Bin Salman or the Saudi government.
Today, Iran International is a rolling news channel broadcasting from a state-of-the-art headquarters in west London. Its high-quality output includes news, debates, documentaries and sports. It has an office in Washington and journalists spread internationally. The TV does not run advertisements.
Iranian and international news are carried via its website in English and Persian as well as social media including Twitter and Instagram. Its audio is also carried via shortwave radio.
Its social media are quick to break news, sometimes beating BBC Persian and US-backed Radio Farda, and often highlighting clickable headlines. But they are still to gain enough followers to catch up with their rivals online.
Iran International often covers topics that barely receive attention from other media inside and outside Iran, such as women's sports.
It has correspondents based in Israel and relays immediate reactions to news coming from Iran.
It often interviews controversial figures. Some of its special reports have been about corruption among officials in Iran, and the TV claims to have had exclusive access to documents.
Officials often react or in most cases deny reports carried by Iran International.
A sister network called Afghanistan International TV (AITV) launched in August 2021, on the same day the Taliban captured Kabul.
Many foreign-based Iranian journalists, including from the BBC's Persian service, have joined Iran International and been offered generous salaries, The Guardian reported in 2018.
The station also seems to be eyeing prominent professionals from inside Iran as well. In one controversial hire, it employed a popular Iran state TV sports commentator.
After the November 2019 protests, Iran International said family members of some of its staff in Tehran and other cities had been harassed. It carried extensive coverage of the protests.
Its prime-time one-hour news bulletin and a debate programme chaired by former BBC Persian journalist Sima Sabet are among its top shows, judging by its Telegram views.
Its presenters usually avoid honorific titles to refer to Iranian officials. The supreme leader, for instance, is often referred to solely as Khamenei, without his religious title of ayatollah.
What were previous controversies?
The TV found itself in the middle of a controversy when it aired live the annual Paris summit of the MKO in 2018. No other foreign-based Iranian channel has given the MKO similar airtime.
It was also the first outlet outside Iran to interview a spokesman from an Arab separatist group after it claimed a deadly attack on a parade in the south-western province of Khuzestan, home to Iran's biggest Arab ethnic group. This prompted the Iranian embassy in London to complain. The UK regulator Ofcom later ruled that the channel had not breached the broadcasting code.
In August, the TV marked the 20th anniversary of a press conference by the MKO in which it revealed for the first time the existence of Iranian nuclear facilities at that time. No other foreign-based Iranian media were seen to mark the event.
Iranian media have accused the TV of legitimising the MKO by giving it airtime. Tehran has accused the MKO of being involved in the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists, as well as other acts. Tehran sees the MKO members as working hand in hand with Israel.
Some observers have wondered why the MKO receives so much attention on Iran International, when it has an established outlet of its own, Simay-e Azadi TV.
In response to similar criticisms in 2020, Ali Asghar Ramezanpour, the chief news editor of Iran International, defended the coverage of the MKO, saying it is one of the top two opposition groups alongside the monarchists. He said the summit coverage prompted debate about the group's policies.
The channel previously ran a lengthy studio interview with Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah.
Source: BBC Monitoring 12 Sep 22
BBC Mon ME1 MD1 nks/at/djs