The BBC has urged the United Nations to condemn Iran after the country accused its Persian-language service of terrorism and warfare in an official government document
Iran made the extreme accusations in September 2025 in response to a BBC complaint about the harassment and threats faced by BBC News Persian staff and their families.
The BBC had asked UN experts to take action after staff were targeted following the service's reporting on the Iran-Israel conflict.
In its response, Iran accused BBC News Persian of "media warfare" and trying to undermine the country's security. It called on UN officials to evaluate Western media organisations like the BBC as examples of "media terrorism".
This is the first time Iran has used such extreme language in an official UN filing. It is also the first time the Iranian government has officially admitted taking legal action against BBC Persian staff in Iran.
Tarik Kafala, the BBC World Service's Middle East and North Africa regional director, said the language was "highly alarming". He said it showed Iran's attitude towards independent journalism.
"We are deeply concerned that, instead of putting an end to the harassment and threats to our staff and their families in Iran, with this language Iran signals new forms of targeting them, now justifying their persecution with counter-terrorism and national security laws. We condemn these actions," he said in a press release.
A UK Parliament report in July 2025 confirmed there had been an escalation of threats against UK-based Persian-language media. It said BBC News Persian was a "prominent target" and there was a "high risk of physical attacks" in Britain.
The BBC has now filed a new submission with the UN. It urges experts to condemn Iran's attempts to frame journalism as terrorism and to request more information about legal action against BBC staff.
The BBC has been working with the UN on this issue since 2017. That year, Iran launched a criminal investigation into 152 BBC staff and froze their assets in Iran. Several journalists have since been convicted in their absence.