Former IITV Host Urged To Relocate After Colleague's Stabbing
Sima Sabet, a former television anchor at Iran International, revealed that the Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Unit has urged her to leave her residence.
Sima Sabet, a former television anchor at Iran International, revealed that the Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Unit has urged her to leave her residence.
This follows a knife attack on Pouria Zeraati, another host at the network, outside his home in Wimbledon, south London.
Zeraati, a prominent journalist, survived the assault and is reportedly in stable condition. However, the incident underscores threats faced by Iran International, known for its independent coverage of Iran. The London-based broadcaster has been a target of Tehran's hostility, and the Friday attack on Zeraati could be a troubling escalation.
Sabet took to social media to express her concerns, revealing previous attempts on her life and her former colleague Fardad Farahzad.
“However, I must emphatically mention that the British government has not taken sufficient, meaningful, decisive, and effective political action against the terrorism of the Iranian government,” she added.
She emphasized the need for a safe environment for journalists and opponents of the Islamic Republic in Britain and other Western countries.
“As a journalist and a British citizen, I cannot hide my criticism and concern over this political and diplomatic negligence. Many of my journalist friends agree with this assessment. London is our home. Britain must be a safe place for journalists across all media, and unsafe for extremists and terrorists receiving orders from Tehran. Our voice will not be silenced by threat and terrorism. Journalism is not a crime; state terrorism is. Stop it.”
As investigations into the attack on Zeraati continue, concerns linger over the broader implications for journalists critical of authoritarian regimes.
Hossein Marashi, the secretary general of centrist Executives of Construction Party remarked: "If the decision was already made to have Ebrahim Raisi and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as the heads of two of the three powers of the government, I wonder why they did not assign the right roles; Ghalibaf as the President and Raisi as the Speaker of the parliament?"
Raisi is seen by most pundits and even regime politicians as a bad manager, who only makes promises, and is not able to run an effective and efficient administration. Ghalibaf, on the other hand, was mayor of Tehran for 12 years and has more managerial experience.
Marashi also argued that "Ghalibaf can manage the parliament better than hardliners such as newly elected MPs Mahmoud Nabavian and Hamid Rasaei,” but the problem is that the hardliners will not allow him to play a part in decision-making at the Majles. He noted Ghalibaf’s ongoing disagreements with the President over various bills.
When asked if he was surprised that seasoned politicians like Mohammad Javad Bahonar did not win enough votes to enter the parliament while low-key politicians such as Nabavian and Rasaei did, he said: "No, I was not surprised. Those gentlemen won the votes in the absence of the people in the election." He lamented that “It is a shame this election has deprived the nation of the services of good conservative politicians like Bahonar.”
The Guardian Council, which has the right to vet candidates, disqualified hundreds of individuals in the run-up to the March 1 elections, paving the way for hardliners to win a sizeable majority in the parliament (Majles). Nearly 60 percent of eligible voters stayed away from the polls, which further helped the ultraconservatives.
Marashi revealed that he had once conveyed to President Raisi that pro-reform politicians have never been his political rivals, emphasizing that the real challenge lies in addressing the people's disenchantment with elections.
Meanwhile, Jalal Rashidi Koochi, an current lawmaker who was not allowed to run for re-election told reporters with a high degree of certainty that "Ghalibaf is not going to be the speaker of the next parliament."
He attributed Ghalibaf's downfall to his alliance with ultraconservative Paydari Party members, warning of increased regional and international tensions with radicals in the Majles and a potential Trump victory in the US elections.
Gholamreza Tajgardoon, a winner in the recent election despite previous disqualification, asserted that the new parliament won't have a figurehead.
Tajgardoon predicted that the new Iranian year, which started in on March 20, will be a difficult year for everyone including President Raisi. However, he added that even a reshuffling of his cabinet is not going to help Raisi.
He added that one of the difficulties of the government is that it gets a partial three-month budget at the beginning the year. Tajgardoon said: "Money is the government's biggest problem. It was not difficult to run the country if we had the money."
There are several politicians in the newly elected parliament who wish to run for president in the 2025 elections. They will certainly do their best to further weaken Raisi's position.
Looking ahead, Tajgardoon noted the ambitions of several politicians in the next Majles to run for president in 2025, aiming to weaken Raisi's standing. However, he cautioned against excessive infighting damaging the Majles' reputation, advocating instead for addressing the needs of the majority of voters who abstained from the recent elections.
