JNN 28th August 2026, Tehran / Moscow: The Iranian Armed Forces have officially added international, UK-based Persian-language media outlets and their employees to its “military target bank,” concurrently Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russian forces could retaliate by targeting British military installations and equipment both “inside and outside Ukraine”

Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces declared that Tehran no longer views these organizations as news entities, but rather as “pseudo-media” directly linked to Western and Israeli intelligence agencies like the CIA and Mossad and could be treated as legitimate military targets by Tehran.

“Media outlets like BBC, Iran International, and Radio Free Europe are directly connected to Mossad, the CIA, and enemy intelligence organizations, and they receive their directives and support from them,” he said.

“The individuals working in these media outlets are considered soldiers of Zionism and criminal America, and they can even be designated as military targets; because in our view, these are not media outlets.”

Mr Shekarchi accused the organisations of contributing to violence and instability internationally.

“Every bloodshed and violence in the world is carried out with the support of these pseudo-media outlets; these pseudo-media outlets are the source of promoting, advertising, and spreading violence in the world and have disturbed the psyche of humanity.”

BBC Persian: The prominent British state-funded public broadcaster’s Persian service.

Iran International: The London-based independent Persian-language news channel.

Radio Farda: The Prague-headquartered, US-funded Iranian branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

This aggressive posturing comes amid intense geopolitical friction following ongoing military conflicts involving the US, Israel, and Iran. The escalation against media targets aligns with other recent hostile actions

The threat closely follows an Iran-linked cyberattack that successfully forced a small British power plant offline for four days

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) separately issued warnings to strike British military installations like RAF Fairford if used to support US operations

Internally, Tehran has moved to pass laws criminalizing any contact between ordinary Iranian citizens and international media.

While Iranian officials have not specified exactly how or where they intend to hit these media assets, UK intelligence agencies are taking the threat seriously.

Russian Stance against the British Government

“We have repeatedly warned that any British military installations and ⁠equipment in Ukraine and beyond its borders could be targeted in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory carried out using British weapons,” Zakharova ​said.

Zakharova issued her warning a day after Russia accused Ukraine of firing British Storm Shadow missiles at a shopping centre ​in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine in an attack it said wounded civilians, including ​children.

Zakharova said London was “one step away” from becoming legally complicit in what she called “terrorism” against Russian civilians, something she said would have “catastrophic consequences” unless Britain changed course.

A spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Defence said London stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine and was committed to providing the equipment that Kyiv needed “to defend itself against “(President Vladimir) Putin’s illegal invasion”.

The Kremlin said on Monday that Britain was methodically adding “fuel to the fire” after the announcement.

France has already given its assent to license the technology for the European missile, and Zakharova on Thursday also appeared to threaten Paris too.

She said that France and Britain were both “playing with fire” by supplying sensitive missile technology to Ukraine, something she said could have unpredictable consequences

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Vladimir Putin is “not going to attack” Nato territory, pushing back against media reports that Washington is concerned about a possible Russian move on Europe.

Trump’s comments came two days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow for surprise talks that US media said were to warn Moscow not to attack the Nato alliance.

Asked to confirm the reports about Ratcliffe delivering a warning to the Russians, Trump replied: “I don’t want to comment on that, but they’re not going to attack.” Trump also played down the need to punish Russia for trading with their ally Iran, after his administration announced an “economic D-Day” targeting Tehran if it refuses to open the Strait of Hormuz.

“So far, I think Russia’s behaved quite well, having to do with the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.