Purya Zareati Discharged from Hospital; Iranian Diplomat Denies Involvement in Attack on Iran International Journalist

Purya Zareati, a presenter for Iran International television, who was injured and hospitalized following an attack by unknown assailants with knives two days ago, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, April 1. Concurrently, the Iranian chargé d'affaires in the UK denied Tehran's involvement in the attack. According to the Standard newspaper, an eyewitness reported seeing two young men laughing as they got into a car after stabbing Mr. Zareati and quickly leaving the scene. British police stated they are investigating whether the journalist was attacked due to his profession. Additionally, Iran International reported that its spokesperson, in an interview with the Observer magazine, suggested that the attack on Mr. Zareati appears to be 'premeditated.' The spokesperson noted the 'sufficient motive' of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to carry out its threats, stating that the IRGC conducts such operations through third parties like criminal groups to leave no 'fingerprints.' Meanwhile, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, the Iranian chargé d'affaires in the UK, called the accusation of the Islamic Republic's involvement in the attack 'strange and questionable' and referred to Mr. Zareati as a 'so-called journalist.' He asserted that the Islamic Republic has 'no connection' to the attack on Mr. Zareati. On Friday, April 1, Purya Zareati was attacked by several unknown men with knives as he was leaving his home in London. This is not the first time Iranian journalists abroad have been targeted for physical attacks. There have been multiple reports of the Islamic Republic's involvement in plots to harass, kidnap, or attack Iranian journalists outside the country.