Iran International journalist Pouria Zeraati is no stranger to death threats from the Islamic Republic – but on March 29 these threats became reality when he was stabbed outside his home by men that he accused of being Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operatives.
For Zeraati, the threats, the stabbing, and even attempts by a fake Jerusalem Post journalist to speak to him are part of his job as a journalist, and he’s not backing down.
Zeraati went outside of his house and headed to his car. He was on his way to the studio to record his weekly analysis talk show. A suspicious man intercepted Zeraati in front of his car. The journalist slowed down.
“Do you have three pounds change?” the man asked.
Zeraati relaxed, thinking him a beggar. He moved to maneuver around him, explaining that he had no change on him. Suddenly, a second man appeared. He grabbed Zeraati from behind. He couldn’t move. The fake beggar drew a knife, and repeatedly plunged it into his leg.
At first Zeraati thought it was a robbery, but after they fled without his phone, wallet, or watch, he realized otherwise. A neighbor saw the two men run to a Blue Mazda, where a getaway driver was waiting for them. The car sped off, but the neighbor managed to jot down the plate number before helping Zeraati stop the bleeding. With his pants and shoes drenched in blood, Zeraati called the police.
Investigating London incident
He had an officer assigned to him due to the months of threats he had endured prior to the attack, and the officers quickly arrived at the scene.
The police announced in April that they had found the getaway car – abandoned.
"The investigation team has established that after abandoning the vehicle, the suspects traveled directly to Heathrow Airport and left the UK within a few hours of the attack," the police said in a statement.
It wasn’t a robbery, but Zeraati also later determined that neither was it homegrown Muslim extremists who attacked him for his criticism of the anti-Israel protests that had mobbed London since the October 7 Massacre. Extremists would have killed him. This, he said, was a calculated attack.
“They could have killed me if they wanted to,” said Zeraati.
Police stated that they have identified the attackers and are working with international partners. The Guardian reported on Thursday that the three men were East European mercenaries, giving Iran plausible deniability. While the police had said that they are “keeping an open mind as to any motivation behind” the attack, Zeraati shared details about the case that he said made it clear that the Iranian regime’s hand was on the hilt of the knife that had wounded him.
After all, the regime’s threats against Zeraati had increased after he interviewed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, in which the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist group was discussed. The intimidation intensified since October 7, when he condemned the Hamas pogrom and identified Iran’s role in the conflict.
Iran had also targeted Iran International for their coverage of the 2022 uprising sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of morality police. They were called a terrorist organization and opposition activists. The Islamic regime had posted calls for Iran International journalists to be taken in, dead or alive, with Zeraati’s name at the top of the list. A 2022 plot to assassinate two of Zeraati’s colleagues was foiled. Another plan to bomb the London office led to a relocation to Washington for several months.
“The whole network was targeted by the regime,” the journalist said.
Recently, a fake Jerusalem Post reporter identifying themselves as Noa Levi attempted to set up an interview with Zeraati. The messages were poorly crafted, with the name of the newspaper misspelled and mangled grammar. The Post attempted to contact the Israeli phone number, but it had been disconnected. Zeraati said that they probably believed that he would let down his guard and trust them because it came from an Israeli number. He has also received many direct messages threatening him, but couldn’t share the details because of the ongoing investigation.
One of his family members going to a health club was once accosted by two men in helmets.
“We know where you live,” they said. “We will kill you.”
These threats echoed a warning by IRGC commander in chief Hossein Salami, who told the Iranian news outlet: “We are coming for you.”
Zeraati had been moved to a safe house as the waves of threats waxed and waned. He spoke to the Post from a safe house again on Thursday, still recovering from his wounds. The stitches had been removed, and he was on fewer painkillers.
“Physically I’m doing much better,” he said: “Mentally takes time to get over.”
Even with his injuries, on April 5, Zeraati had already returned to his show.
“My goal was to send a message back,” he said.
If he had stopped, then Iran would have been successful. He was concerned, but he didn’t even want to allow himself to be scared “to give them that.”
“There is nothing to stop us as journalists,” said Zeraati.
Danger is part of a journalist’s job, he said, and “Being a journalist in a dictatorship is an extra risk because your government goes after you.”
Zeraati said that Iran didn’t kill him because the regime didn’t want the repercussions that could be leveled over the death of a British citizen. However, the journalist said that the sanctions against Iran in the past hadn’t been enough to deter the regime.
“What they have said and done so far has not been effective,” he said. “I hope they change their policies.”
British authorities have chosen not to break diplomatic connections with Iran, but the result of direct relations hasn’t changed their conduct, said Zeraati – in fact it had only gotten worse.
He said that the IRGC should have been designated as a terrorist organization a long time ago. If it was recognized as such, it would be recognized for what it is: a “mafia and terrorist group.” The designation would also help political and civil actors take legal action against them. Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organization, and consequently people cannot wave Hamas flags in the UK.
During the Islamic Regime’s Quds Day in the UK, they can fly IRGC flags and no one can do anything, he said. IRGC commanders can Zoom with students and interact with Iranian regime funded Islamic centers freely without repercussions.
“This isn’t about me,” said Zeraati.
The issues were the protection of journalism, and the problem of Islamic extremism. If these were not addressed, and there were no repercussions for Iran’s actions, the next attack on him or another journalist might be deadly.
“Next time it might not be a warning shot.”