The US State Department has condemned threats by the Iranian regime to include the Iranian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as a potential military target.
A State Department spokesperson said on August 28 that Washington was aware of reports regarding the threats against Radio Farda and pointed to Tehran's history of persecuting and attempting to assassinate dissidents.
The spokesperson said the Iranian regime has repeatedly targeted, tried to kidnap, and attempted to kill journalists and Iranian dissidents globally simply for exercising their freedoms, describing it as the long-standing, disgusting behavior of a regime that has spread terror worldwide for decades.
The spokesperson added that Washington will continue to cooperate with allies and partners to expose the threats, share information, and hold the perpetrators accountable, while expressing US support for innocent civilians targeted by Iran.
Earlier in the week, Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces, said in a television interview that employees of Radio Farda, Iran International, BBC Persian, and Manoto could be added to Iran's bank of military targets.
Shekarchi called the journalists soldiers of Zionism and criminal America and claimed, without providing evidence, that the media organisations are linked to the CIA, Mossad, and other foreign intelligence services.
Czech Republic protests threat
The Czech Republic, which hosts the headquarters of RFE/RL and Radio Farda in Prague, has formally protested against the threats. Czech media reported that Foreign Minister Petr Macinka summoned the Iranian ambassador over the issue.
Adam Korgo, a spokesperson for the Czech Foreign Ministry, told Czech Radio that Radio Farda is one of the few channels providing verified information to the Iranian public.
Korgo said the network's importance was particularly evident during the harsh repressions the Iranian regime carried out against its own people in the winter.
His comments referred to a severe crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran in January. Exiled Iranian human rights groups state they have confirmed about 7,000 deaths from the unrest, though the actual number of victims is likely higher.
David Kramer, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute and a former US assistant secretary of state, said it is not surprising that the Iranian regime views media like Radio Farda and BBC Persian as a threat, because it does not want the Iranian people to know what is truly happening.
He said the regime's reaction demonstrates that these media outlets have a real impact inside Iran, while the government would prefer to act through silencing and violence against its citizens and neighbours.
Kramer added that the media must be protected so they can perform their important work of advancing American interests through soft power and letting the Iranian people know they have not been forgotten.
Call for heightened security
Thomas Melia, a former senior State Department official now at Georgetown University, said the threat should be taken seriously and that Radio Farda employees in Prague and elsewhere must raise their security awareness, noting the Iranian state's actions against dissidents abroad.
Melia said the threats highlight the importance of the network's work, adding that the Iranian regime is unhappy that factual information is reaching the public and wants to prevent it.
Christopher Walker, vice president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, said Iran takes the competition for information seriously and spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on its global state information capabilities.
Walker described the threats to international Persian-language media as part of a long-standing pattern of transnational censorship and repression by Tehran.
He placed the Iranian actions in the context of a global shadow war waged against the West by regimes in Iran, Russia, and China, stating that free countries require a much more cohesive and resolute response.
Retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a former deputy commander of US Central Command, said Iran's hostility to independent media stems from the nature of the clerical power that has ruled since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Harward said the regime is increasingly desperate and will react to external pressure because it exposes the truth about its despotic nature.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, non-profit American organisation funded by a US Congress grant through the US Agency for Global Media. It broadcasts in 24 languages across 18 countries.
Radio Farda states its mission is to promote democratic values by providing accurate, uncensored news and open debate in countries where a free press is threatened and disinformation is widespread.
