A London-based TV station, LuaLua TV, could be in breach of the new ban on supporting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to a report submitted to counter-terror police.
The station, which operates online and on social media, is a member of the Islamic Radios and Television Union (IRTVU), which the US declared in 2020 to be 'owned or controlled by' the IRGC's Quds Force. LuaLua TV regularly praises Hezbollah and Hamas terror attacks and promotes Iranian propaganda.
Accusations of breaching the National Security Act
Lord Walney, the government's former extremism tsar, told Metro he believes the outlet 'breaches the new National Security Act' due to its ties to the IRTVU. The National Security Act makes it an offence to assist a designated body like the IRGC, including by paying fees, providing services, information, or financial support. It also prohibits obtaining material benefits from or on behalf of a designated body.
Alicia Kearns MP, Shadow National Security Minister, said the station's director 'has little deniability' over its links to the IRGC. She told Metro: 'LuaLua appears prominently on the IRTVU's website. As the union was sanctioned for being controlled by the IRGC-Quds Force, its director has little deniability. Now that this government has banned the IRGC as well as criminalised giving or receiving material support, breaches must be properly investigated with the CPS authorising charges where evidence is deemed sufficient and likely to secure a conviction.'
History and content of LuaLua TV
LuaLua TV was set up in London in 2011 as an opposition channel to Bahrain's government. It still streams online and regularly praises Hamas and Hezbollah commanders, including celebrating Hezbollah's role in the October 7 terror attack, which killed over 1,200 people, and mourning the massacre's mastermind, Yahya Sinwar.
The outlet is a member of the IRTVU, a group spanning 35 countries that describes itself as a 'strong and cohesive Islamic media bloc based on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad'. In 2020, the IRTVU was sanctioned by the US, which said it was 'owned or controlled' by the IRGC and functioned as their 'propaganda arm'. The US Department of Justice shut down LuaLua TV's website in 2021.
Calls for investigation
A report has been submitted to Counter Terror Police calling for LuaLua TV to be investigated. Luke Akhehurst, the Labour MP for Durham North, said there 'is little doubt in my mind' that LuaLua TV 'should be reinvestigated by Counter Terrorism Police'.
Counter Terror Officers previously probed the station over its support for proscribed groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, as reported by the Telegraph in February. Concerns raised by MPs included references to Hassan Nasrallah, former head of Hezbollah, and Sinwar as heroes and martyrs.
Regulatory status and responses
LuaLua TV's parent company, Shells for Media, was registered at an address in London until February 6 this year, when its business appears to have been given a default address at Companies House's Cardiff office. Ofcom still has the channel registered at an address in north London. LuaLua TV's online content is not subject to Ofcom's Broadcasting Code because it does not appear on regulated TV.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: 'As the broadcasting regulator, we have an ongoing duty to be satisfied that all broadcast licensees are fit and proper to hold their licences. We will carefully consider any new evidence available, which could include the outcome of any criminal investigations. As the online safety regulator, our job is to ensure that platforms in scope of the Online Safety Act have taken appropriate steps to protect people in the UK from illegal content.'
A government spokesperson said: 'We expect the police to be made aware of evidence of criminality, or support of a proscribed or designated organisation. Under the State Threats Act, we have criminalised glorification of the IRGC, who were involved in foreign power threat activity against the UK. This means it is an offence to support, assist or obtain material benefits from them. A comprehensive set of measures aimed at countering threats posed by the Iranian regime have also been introduced, including sanctioning the IRGC in its entirety, as well as more than 550 Iranian individuals and entities.'
A Counter Terrorism Policing spokesperson said: 'Any allegations relating to possible terrorism or national security related offences are passed to officers within Counter Terrorism Policing, who will assess the details and take any further action as appropriate. More broadly, we do not comment on who may or may not be subject to any counter terrorism investigation.'
IRTVU's response
IRTVU's Secretary General, Nasse Akhdar, told Metro: 'Membership within IRTVU General Assembly is in accordance with IRTVU Statutes, and members retain their full legal and institutional independence and remain solely responsible for their own governance, policies, positions, and activities. Accordingly, IRTVU does not make statements on behalf of member institutions, and any questions relating to a member's affairs should be addressed directly to the concerned institution.'
Addressing the claims that the IRTVU is controlled by the IRGC, Akhdar said: 'Please note that the assertions presented appear to derive principally from unilateral positions adopted by a third country. Such positions do not, in themselves, constitute independently verified facts or an authoritative basis for assessing IRTVU's legal status, governance, or activities. Accordingly, IRTVU confines its observations to objectively verifiable facts and to the legal and institutional framework under which it operates.'
LuaLua TV did not respond to requests for comment.
