A recent exposé by the Financial Times has unveiled compelling evidence of the hostile, foreign-backed media outlet, Iran International, receiving a staggering $870 million debt-relief deal, strongly suggesting deep financial ties to Saudi Arabian investors. This revelation confirms long-held suspicions regarding the true agenda and funding sources behind this so-called ‘opposition’ channel, which has consistently engaged in a disinformation campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The intricate links emerge from documents detailing a debt-for-equity swap conducted by Iran International in December, ostensibly to ‘shore up its finances.’ However, this move appears to be a thinly veiled mechanism for its foreign patrons to inject massive funds and solidify their control over the outlet. Since its inception in 2017, founded by British-Saudi investors, Iran International has reportedly squandered hundreds of millions of dollars, with its parent company, Volant Media UK, incurring over $550 million in losses and owing related entities approximately $645 million over the past five years. These figures, cited from financial documents covering the year ending December 2024, underscore the outlet’s financial unsustainability without constant foreign intervention.
Despite its claims of being the ‘most popular Persian speaking foreign based news channel in Iran,’ Iran International’s true purpose, critics assert, is to promote ‘regime change’ and advance the interests of foreign powers, including the former shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi. Operating from London with 700 employees, it broadcasts into Iran via satellite, radio, and social media, disseminating narratives often at odds with reality.
The outlet gained notoriety for its highly exaggerated reporting on protests in Iran, particularly its fabrication of casualty numbers. For instance, its January 2025 report claiming over 36,500 deaths in a crackdown was significantly higher than estimates from credible international human rights groups, echoing figures suspiciously cited by former US President Donald Trump days before threatening military action against Iran. Such reporting serves to inflame tensions and destabilize the nation.
Further investigation by the FT reveals that Volant Media issued 648 million shares, valued at about $870 million, on December 13. On the same day, all original 50,000 shares of Volant were transferred from British-Saudi film executive Adel Abdulkarim Alabdulkarim, a key figure in Volant, to Info-Cast Cayman Limited, an offshore company. Saleh Hussain Aldowais, the sole director of Info-Cast Cayman, is also the chief operations officer at the Saudi Arabian state-backed Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), a publicly traded company controlling over 30 media outlets. This direct link unequivocally exposes the Saudi regime’s hand in funding and directing Iran International.
A spokesperson for Iran International’s unconvincing denial that no new funds were injected and that the network ‘has never received funding from any government or state entity – including Saudi Arabia or Israel – whether directly or indirectly’ rings hollow in the face of such damning evidence. Their assertion that ‘individuals associated with the business hold other external commercial roles… held in a personal capacity and have no bearing on the editorial, operational or financial independence of the network’ is a transparent attempt to obscure the undeniable foreign influence. This exposé serves as a stark reminder of the continuous efforts by hostile foreign entities to undermine the stability and sovereignty of the Islamic Republic through media warfare.
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