Iran regime agents stab anti-Tehran journalist

A British journalist at an independent Iranian television station has vowed to ­return to work as soon as possible after being stabbed in London.

British journalist Pouria Zeraati recovering in hospital on Saturday.

A British journalist at an independent Iranian television station, which has been targeted by the Tehran regime, has vowed to ­return to work as soon as possible after being stabbed outside his home in southwest London.

Pouria Zeraati, 36, defiantly posted a photograph of himself from his hospital bed on Saturday, making a victory sign after he was repeatedly slashed in the leg by hooded assailants on Friday afternoon in Wimbledon.

The attack, which is being­ ­investigated by counter-terrorism officers with the support of MI5, happened as he set off for work at the studios of Iran International, a UK-based Farsi-language channel. His wife, Oldouz Rezvani, was inside their flat when he was stabbed.

Adam Baillie, a colleague at Iran International, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by Tehran, said he had spoken to the couple on Saturday.

“Pouria says he is feeling a lot better and is really looking forward to getting back to work, but we don’t know when that is likely to be,” Baillie said.

Journalists at Iran International have repeatedly been warned by police of credible threats to their life, and the channel had to temporarily close its British operations last year amid fears of an attack by agents acting for Tehran.

One journalist, Sima Sabet, who was the target of a previous foiled assassination attempt, revealed on Saturday that she had been urged by Scotland Yard to “immediately leave my residence ... and stay elsewhere until further notice” after the attack on Zeraati.

Although police say they are “keeping an open mind” over the stabbing, Zeraati is understood to have been told by officers in the past that he is a target of the Tehran regime.

The Iranian-born journalist, who has lived in Britain for more than 15 years and has dual nationality, presents a weekly talk show called Last Word. His interview subjects have included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who last year pledged solidarity with the hijab protests in Iran. “I think the regime is terrified,” Mr Netanyahu told viewers.

Zeraati was leaving his gated block of flats about a kilometre from the All England Club in Wimbledon about 2.45pm on Friday (11.45pm AEDT) when he is believed to have been ­approached by a man who tried to engage him in conversation.

A source at Iran International said the man then grabbed Zeraati in a “bear hug” before another ­attacker arrived with a knife and slashed him in the leg.

A witness who saw the aftermath of the incident said he believed Zeraati had been stabbed “three or four times in the upper right thigh”. The witness said he saw the two attackers, who were hooded and wearing black tracksuits, running from the scene “laughing” before getting into a blue Mazda car driven by a third suspect.

“The man who had been stabbed was on the phone to the ambulance [service] and then his wife,” said the witness, who did not want to be named. “He told us he was a journalist and that he had been targeted before.”

At least three other residents have told police that they had seen two men in their 20s dressed in black loitering close to Zeraati’s home for several hours before the stabbing.

Before joining Iran International, Zeraati worked for another Farsi-language station called Manoto TV, which is based in Wimbledon and is supportive of the former Shah of Iran. He has also been involved in property businesses and digital currency trading.

“Zeraati has had his finger in many pies, so I wouldn’t jump to conclusions,” said one dissident.

Counter-terrorism officers have accused Tehran of plotting to kill or kidnap its opponents in Britain on at least 15 separate occasions since the start of 2022. Tehran’s top diplomat in London denied Iran had any involvement.

The Sunday Times