ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Updated:

The London-based Persian news broadcaster Manoto was forced to suspend broadcasting on Monday following security threats by the Islamic regime, Manoto confirmed.

It said the Islamic Republic was continuing to threaten freedom of expression and attempting to suppress independent journalism “at a time when Iran is going through one of the most critical periods in its history and domestic and regional developments are unfolding at an unprecedented speed.”

Last month, the regime brutally cracked down on protesters as demonstrations erupted across the country in response to Iran’s economic crisis. Government officials acknowledged the deaths of 3,117 people, including security officials, saying the deaths were the result of foreign-backed rioters.

Human rights groups have said tens of thousands were massacred by the authoritarian Islamist regime.

The Jerusalem Post spoke last week with a doctor from the Aida Health Alliance, who shared that the regime’s security forces had killed protesters with gunfire as they lay in hospital beds, arrested thousands, and committed acts of sexual violence against those speaking out against it.

A rally to support Iran’s anti-government protesters and to support the Iranian people’s uprising for a democratic republic to overthrow religious fascism is set up outside Downing Street, on February 19, 2026 in London, United Kingdom.
A rally to support Iran’s anti-government protesters and to support the Iranian people’s uprising for a democratic republic to overthrow religious fascism is set up outside Downing Street, on February 19, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (credit: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

After the UK Counter Terrorism Policing unit informed Manoto of the potential threat, the building’s owner terminated its lease agreement and cut off access to the premises, the media site said.

Manoto confirmed that, while live broadcasts were temporarily suspended, it was actively pursuing emergency plans to ensure the continuity of the channel’s production and broadcast.

Previous instances of Iran targeting diaspora media

Manoto declined to comment when contacted by the Post, and UK Counter Terrorism Policing has yet to respond.
This is not the first time the Islamic regime has targeted diaspora news sites in London.

British counterterrorism police charged three Iranian nationals last year with offenses under the National Security Act, accusing them of carrying out surveillance activities targeting Iran International journalists on behalf of the regime.

Iran International presenter Pouria Zeraati was stabbed in London in 2024, and, in 2023, a man was convicted under terrorism laws for surveilling the media outlet’s offices.