[1] In February 2023, threats from the Iranian government against its UK-based journalists[2] led the network to move headquarters temporarily to Washington, D.C.[3] News content is available online, via radio and via satellite broadcasting worldwide including inside Iran despite official attempts at censorship.

[16][17][18] News sources have reported that the Iranian government is waging an "intimidation campaign" against personnel of the TV station, freezing their assets, interrogating their relatives and "threatening to snatch them from British streets if they do not quit their jobs".

[19][20] In February 2023 Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev was charged with terrorism after being caught photographing areas surrounding the studios, and in September Iran International said it was resuming broadcasting from London, UK.

[30] The channel aired an interview with Yaqoub Hor Altostari, presented as a spokesman for the group, indirectly claiming responsibility for the attack and calling it "resistance against legitimate targets".

[17] In response to Iranian government castigation, Iran International deemed it needed to increase security in order to protect its London staff from threats emanating from Tehran.

[40] Kourosh Ziabari of Al-Monitor wrote it "does not shy away from presenting itself as an opposition media organization" and frequently gives the microphone to guests who criticize the Iranian government.

[47][48][49] The channel also airs television shows on sport, culture and politics and has produced documentaries that have been nominated for awards by the Association for International Broadcasters.

[citation needed] Iran International reported exclusively on the extension of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's furlough,[51] and her partner Richard Ratcliffe has been a guest on the channel multiple times.

[52] The channel was also the first to report that Iranian rapper Amir Tataloo was facing deportation back to Iran from Turkey,[52] and the sentencing of The Salesman star Taraneh Alidoosti.

[53] During the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, the channel published exclusive documents pertaining to alleged high level government corruption concerning COVID-19 medical supplies, with The Independent writing that the documents "purported to show how Iran regime figures intervened in the procurement of medical supplies to steer South Korean contracts for Covid-19 test-kits through shell companies towards conservative foundations controlled by cronies".

[61] The head of TV is Mahmood Enayat,[62] and the Director of News is Aliasghar Ramezanpour,[63] who was the deputy Minister of Culture of Iran under former president Mohammad Khatami.

[64] In July 2019, Iranian media reporter Mazdak Mirzaei, a football commentator and TV host joined Iran International.

[65] In September 2021, Iran International journalist Tajuden Soroush published several reports on Afghanistan following the 15 August 2021 Fall of Kabul.

[70] In December 2019, Shanti Das of The Times reported that Iran is waging an "intimidation campaign" against personnel of the TV station, freezing their assets, interrogating their relatives and "threatening to snatch them from British streets if they do not quit their jobs".

[71] The same publication wrote in May 2020 that Iran International is thought to be the target of a state-sponsored programme that "has sought to discredit its reporting and trace its followers" by creating replicas of its social media accounts.

[80] Staff at Iran International have also appeared as experts on BBC Radio 4, Sky News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation networks[81] and ITN.

[15] Another UK-based Persian TV outlet, Manoto, received similarly high levels of trust within Iran in the survey, and was a close second in daily viewership at 30%.

Though the TV station states that it "adheres to strict international standards of impartiality, balance and accountability",[10] questions have been raised regarding its editorial independence.

[9][10] In October 2018, a report by Saeed Kamali Dehghan in The Guardian claimed Iran International's funding was linked to Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

[10] Azadeh Moaveni of New York University has charged the channel is an arm of Saudi Arabia: "I would not describe Iran International as pro-reform, or organically Iranian in any manner".

"[90][91][92] Azerbaijani pro-government media also denied the report calling it "entirely fabricated" and aimed at "sabotaging the burgeoning relationship between Azerbaijan and Iran by spreading false information.

[95] On 7 October 2024, Iran International Correspondent in Israel Babak Eshaghi was videotaped writing the saying "Woman, Life, Freedom" on the walls of a destroyed building in the besieged Gaza Strip; the saying originated with the Kurdish freedom movement in Iraq, Turkey and Syria but later revitalized as an international popular slogan in support women's rights against violence following global protests in 2022 and 2023 against the mistreatment and murder of Mahsa Jina Amini days after taken under Iranian Guidance Patrol custody for wearing her hijab "improperly"; witnesses said she was subjected to police brutality a few days prior.