We're loading the full news article for you. This includes the article content, images, author information, and related articles.
BBC Persian staff reveal the sinister tactics used by Tehran to silence reporting, turning loved ones into leverage and weaponizing family ties.

The newsroom is in London, but the frontline is in Tehran. In a disturbing escalation of state-sponsored intimidation, journalists working for BBC Persian have revealed that the Iranian regime is targeting their families back home, using interrogation, asset freezes, and threats of arrest to silence reporting on the country’s unrest.
This is not a new tactic, but the precision and intensity of the harassment have reached terrifying new levels. Exiled reporters, who believed they were safe on British soil, are finding that the regime’s reach is long and ruthless. They are being watched, their movements monitored, and their loved ones used as pawns in a geopolitical game of silence. The message from the Intelligence Ministry is brutal and clear: "We know where you sit. We know where you live. Stop speaking, or your family pays the price."
The Guardian has uncovered specific instances where elderly parents of London-based journalists were hauled in for questioning. In one chilling exchange, security agents recited the exact office address and desk location of a journalist in the BBC’s London HQ to their father in Iran. "They knew everything about me somehow," one anonymous journalist confessed, fear evident in their testimony. "They even gave my father... the telephone number, where I’m sitting exactly."
This psychological warfare is designed to induce a paralyzing guilt. By targeting the innocent—mothers, fathers, siblings—the regime aims to force journalists to choose between their duty to the truth and the safety of their blood. Some have already broken under the strain, resigning to protect their families from financial ruin and imprisonment.
The international community faces a stark challenge. This is not just a media issue; it is a human rights crisis. When a government can reach across borders to threaten citizens of another nation by holding their relatives hostage, the rules of sovereignty are broken.
For the journalists of BBC Persian, every broadcast is an act of defiance, and every phone call home is a potential tragedy. They continue to report, but they do so looking over their shoulders, knowing that in Tehran, the walls have ears, and the regime has a long memory.
Keep the conversation in one place—threads here stay linked to the story and in the forums.
Sign in to start a discussion
Start a conversation about this story and keep it linked here.
Other hot threads
E-sports and Gaming Community in Kenya
Active 9 months ago
The Role of Technology in Modern Agriculture (AgriTech)
Active 9 months ago
Popular Recreational Activities Across Counties
Active 9 months ago
Investing in Youth Sports Development Programs
Active 9 months ago