A “propaganda network” linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is openly operating in Britain, The Telegraph can disclose.
The Tehran-backed operation risks “compromising national security” and must be shut down, ministers have been told.
The Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU) is a membership group for media entities whose messaging is aligned with the Iranian regime and its regional proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, the Yemeni militant group.
In 2020, it was sanctioned by the US, which said it was “owned or controlled” by the IRGC, and functioned as their “propaganda arm”.
But several of its member organisations are registered in Britain. These include the Manchester-based Hidayat TV, Ahlul Bayt TV and Al Masirah TV, the main Houthi media channel.
Another IRTVU member is LuaLua TV, which uses its online broadcasts and social media channels to heap praise on senior Hamas and Hezbollah commanders, whom it describes as martyrs and heroes.
These include Yahya Sinwar, the former head of Hamas in Gaza, thought to have planned the Oct 7 massacre; Ismail Haniyeh, another former head of Hamas in Gaza; and Hassan Nasrallah, the former head of Hezbollah. All three were assassinated by Israel in 2024.
LuaLua TV, which has offices in Wembley, north London, also hailed Qassim Soleimani as a martyr. The commander of the Iranian Quds Force, an IRGC division responsible for clandestine operations, Soleimani was assassinated by the US in 2020.
Alicia Kearns, the shadow security minister, said: “Anti-Semitic violence doesn’t come from a vacuum. Its roots lie in hate-filled propaganda.
“For too long, pro-IRGC and openly anti-Semitic broadcasters have abused our freedoms to spread their poisonous propaganda.
“Our media platforms must never be used to legitimise hatred, extremism or terrorist propaganda. Freedom of speech cannot be used as a shield for those amplifying terrorist narratives that threaten our country.”
Ms Kearns has written to Dame Melanie Dawes, the chief executive of Ofcom, urging the watchdog to revoke the licence held by Shells for Media Productions Limited, LuaLua TV’s parent company.
“Ofcom must urgently explain how a broadcaster promoting anti-Semitic content and glorifying proscribed terrorist groups can still be considered fit to hold a UK licence,” Ms Kearns added.
According to its website, IRTVU was set up in 2007 “to create a strong and cohesive Islamic media bloc based on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and for the purpose of confronting false and malicious propaganda of enemies of Islam and dissemination of accurate and comprehensive information”.
‘Compromising national security’
Jonathan Hackett, a former American intelligence operator and expert in Iran’s covert operations, said: “The British government tends to look at states as black boxes and not separate out the malign actions of that black box.
“[These organisations] are operating not only against people in the country, but compromising UK national security. This is problematic for the country.”
Roger Macmillan, a military and security professional who spent years countering Iranian state-sponsored threats, said: “IRTVU is a Tehran-backed entity.
“It is a collection of channels that are broadly ideologically and politically aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran. This includes companies that have a presence in the UK – these are the soft influence networks that need to be shut down.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “We take the threat posed by Iran incredibly seriously, and our first priority is protecting British interests and lives.
“We have introduced a comprehensive set of additional measures aimed at countering threats posed by the Iranian regime, including sanctioning the IRGC in its entirety, as well as more than 550 Iranian individuals and entities.”
Nasser Akhdar, the secretary general of IRTVU, denied that the organisation had a “presence, activity, or operational involvement of any kind” in the UK.
He said: “IRTVU is an international, non-governmental media organisation. It does not direct media platforms, it does not address the general public; rather, it is a legal and cooperative structure composed of a network of media institutions across different countries.
“Membership within its General Assembly is voluntary, and any member may join, suspend, or withdraw their participation at their own discretion and at any time.
“We would like to emphasise that our company operates in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations across the jurisdictions in which we are active. We remain committed to transparency, accuracy, and professional integrity in all our activities.”
Hidayat TV, Ahlul Bayt TV, Al Masirah TV and LuaLua TV were contacted for comment.