Voice of America Rejects Claims by the Islamic Republic's Interests Office; It Is Their Agents Who Threaten Our Journalists

The spokesperson for Voice of America rejected the statements made by Abolfazl Mehrabadi, head of the Islamic Republic's Interests Office in Washington, regarding "Voice of America's interference in the Islamic Republic's government voting to replace Ebrahim Raisi," calling it "utterly false." Emily Webb stated in a statement: "Voice of America journalists report from polling stations across Europe and the United States, and Mr. Mehrabadi's claim that our journalists threatened polling station staff is not true." According to her, "In fact, it is the agents of the Islamic Republic who are threatening Voice of America journalists." Webb added in her statement: "We take the safety and protection of Voice of America journalists very seriously, and while they report the truth from the front lines, we protect them with all our might." Last week, the head of the Islamic Republic's Interests Office in Washington claimed in a phone call with the overseas 'election' headquarters that a Voice of America journalist attempted to have this government voting canceled in the U.S., and for this reason, the office has filed a complaint against Voice of America. The head of the Islamic Republic's Interests Office in Washington stated: "A Voice of America journalist unfortunately contacted the hotel and threatened, 'In this country under sanctions, why did you allow elections?'" He continued: "We have hired a lawyer and have filed a complaint against them [Voice of America]." It is noteworthy that the legal department of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, of which Voice of America is a part, had not received any such complaint regarding the voting to determine Raisi's successor at the time of this report. In another part of his statements, Mehrabadi claimed that there is a "great enthusiasm" among "compatriots residing abroad" to participate in the "elections," but opponents whom he referred to as "hostile agents" intended to influence the voting with their "activities." Meanwhile, one of the main operators of polling offices in Los Angeles, who has a history of conflict with opponents in the first round, threatened a Voice of America Persian section journalist in Los Angeles while taking a photo, saying, "We have business with these people." While Mehrabadi described the voting as enthusiastic, field reports from Voice of America journalists indicated that the government voting on the 8th and 15th of Tir 1403 (June 29 and July 6, 2024) saw very few Iranian residents in the U.S. attending, with the number of visitors to designated polling places being minimal. The government voting to determine Ebrahim Raisi's successor, which placed Masoud Pezeshkian in the presidency of the Islamic Republic, was accompanied by widespread boycotts and a lack of support from a significant portion of society. The statistics announced by the government regarding the results of this voting have been met with skepticism from critics and opponents. The Islamic Republic's Interests Office in Washington: Filed a complaint against Voice of America regarding the "elections." Exclusive | The U.S. says it is not ready to revive nuclear negotiations despite the change in the Islamic Republic's president. The United States reiterates: We do not expect changes in Tehran's policies with Khamenei in power. The State Department told Voice of America regarding the government voting in Iran: We do not expect fundamental changes, and it does not affect our approach. Khamenei: The competition is over; be friends; the IRGC, Jalili, and Ghalibaf have become "friends" with Pezeshkian. Countries' reactions to the announcement of Pezeshkian as the "President of the Islamic Republic" by the government.