Iranian regime's ongoing assassination attempts on Fardad Farahzad

By the Editorial Team · Sunday, October 18, 2026

The Iranian government has intensified covert efforts to target dissidents and journalists abroad, including assassination plots against Iran International reporters Fardad Farahzad and Sima Sabet. These actions demonstrate the regime's expanding transnational repression tactics, prompting media outlets to relocate and raising global concerns about the safety of critics of Tehran worldwide.

In recent years, the Iranian government has intensified efforts to target dissidents and journalists abroad, employing clandestine methods including outsourcing assassination plots to criminal networks outside its borders. This tactic, known as transnational repression, has increasingly drawn international attention due to its scope and sophistication.

One prominent example involves Fardad Farahzad, an Iranian-born journalist now hosting the program "24 With Fardad Farahzad" on Iran International, a broadcaster critical of Tehran. Originally from Bandar Anzali on Iran’s Caspian Sea coast, Farahzad began his career with the BBC World Service in London. Since moving to Iran International, his work has placed him in direct opposition to the Islamic Republic’s regime, which designated the news outlet a "terrorist" organization in late 2022.

Farahzad’s experience vividly illustrates the risks faced by journalists covering Iran’s regime. He became a target during a wave of protests in 2022 following the killing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman whose death sparked widespread unrest. It was during his reporting in Israel in 2023—covering the region after the October 7 attacks—that he learned of an assassination plot against him and his colleague Sima Sabet. An investigative journalist uncovered evidence of the plan, dubbed "The Wedding," with Farahzad labeled "The Groom" and Sabet "The Bride." The plot reportedly involved coordination through encrypted messages between operatives hired to assassinate them.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Reza Ansari, linked to previous high-profile assassination attempts—including attacks aimed at former U.S. officials John Bolton and Mike Pompeo—allegedly sanctioned the plan. Such actions are part of a broader pattern following the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed IRGC General Qassem Soleimani, after which multiple Iran-linked assassination plots targeting American figures, including former President Donald Trump and his family, have been uncovered.

The dangers extend beyond Farahzad and his colleagues. In March 2024, Iran International reporter Pouria Zeraati was attacked near his residence in southwest London by at least two Romanian nationals. Legal authorities have deemed the stabbing to be state-sponsored violence orchestrated by the Iranian regime.

In response to escalating threats, Iran International relocated its broadcasting headquarters from London to Washington, D.C., in early 2023, taking guidance from London’s Metropolitan Police. Despite these precautions, the reach of Iranian operatives continues to concern journalists and security officials worldwide.

Farahzad reflects on the pervasive nature of state-sponsored intimidation, noting that no location is truly safe from the reach of determined governments, including Iran. He emphasized the unique resources and diplomatic immunities states possess, enabling such operations abroad. Nonetheless, he also pointed to internal vulnerabilities within Iran, citing ongoing economic challenges exacerbated by international blockades such as the Strait of Hormuz, and suggests that mounting domestic pressures could fuel future uprisings.

This ongoing pattern of overseas targeting highlights not only the risks faced by dissidents and independent media figures but also the enduring sophistication of Iran’s covert operations beyond its borders.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.