Tensions between Iran and international media surged this weekend as London-based Persian-language broadcaster Iran International accused the Iranian government of abducting the family of one of its journalists in a retaliatory move over the network’s coverage of the ongoing Iran-Israel war. The journalist’s mother, father, and younger brother were reportedly detained by agents of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and taken to an undisclosed location.
The shocking development, confirmed by Iran International on Saturday, June 22, 2025, has drawn global condemnation and reignited debates about Iran’s growing crackdown on free press. “This is an appalling act of hostage-taking aimed at coercing our colleague into resigning,” the network said in a public statement, calling the action a “dangerous escalation” in Iran’s long-standing campaign to muzzle dissent and silence independent journalism.
The unnamed journalist, whose identity remains withheld for safety reasons, reportedly received a chilling phone call from her father, during which IRGC agents could be heard forcing him to plead for her resignation. “I’ve told you a thousand times to resign. What other consequences do you expect?” he said in the coerced message, according to the journalist’s account.
This is not the first time the Iranian regime has been accused of targeting the relatives of exiled journalists. Rights groups have long documented cases of intimidation, surveillance, and arbitrary detention directed at family members of diaspora-based reporters, a practice widely condemned as psychological warfare and state-sponsored harassment.
Iran remains one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), with dozens currently imprisoned under vague national security charges. The government’s intolerance for critical media—especially outlets operating outside the country—has only intensified amid its military entanglement with Israel and mounting domestic unrest.
Iran International, which has repeatedly been targeted by Tehran’s intelligence apparatus, has urged the United Nations, global press freedom organizations, and human rights bodies to take immediate action. “This is not just an attack on one journalist—it is an assault on press freedom and human dignity,” the network said, demanding international protection for reporters and their families.
As pressure mounts on the Iranian regime, global media watchdogs and Western governments are being called upon to denounce the abductions and ensure accountability for what critics describe as state terror tactics. The journalist remains in hiding while her family’s location and condition remain unknown as of press time.
