Iranian Opposition News Outlet Got $800 Million In Debt Relief: Report
The short version
- The links stem from documents related to a debt-for-equity swap that Iran International conducted in December to shore up its finances.
- Iran International has spent hundreds of millions of dollars since its founding in 2017 by British-Saudi investors, the FT reported.
- According to the report, Iran International’s parent company, Volant Media UK, has lost more than $550m over the past five years, and it owes related entities about $645m .
- Iran International has been accused by critics of promoting “regime change” in Iran and advancing the position of the former shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, for a return to power .
- The outlet has long denied links to Israel or Saudi Arabia.
The story
An $870m debt-relief deal suggests that Iran International, an Iranian opposition outlet, has ties to Saudi Arabian investors, according to a Financial Times report on Thursday. The links stem from documents related to a debt-for-equity swap that Iran International conducted in December to shore up its finances. Iran International has spent hundreds of millions of dollars since its founding in 2017 by British-Saudi investors, the FT reported.
According to the report, Iran International’s parent company, Volant Media UK, has lost more than $550m over the past five years, and it owes related entities about $645m. Those numbers came from documents that the FT reported as covering the financial year ending December 2024.
Iran International says it is the “most popular Persian speaking foreign based news channel in Iran”.It employs 700 people and broadcasts into Iran from London via satellite, radio and social media outlets.
Iran International has been accused by critics of promoting “regime change” in Iran and advancing the position of the former shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, for a return to power. The outlet has long denied links to Israel or Saudi Arabia.
Iran International reported heavily on protests that struck Iran at the beginning of this year, sparked by a cost-of-living crisis brought on, in part, by US sanctions.
In January 2025, the news site reported that more than 36,500 people were killed in a crackdown on protests. Those numbers were significantly higher than those estimated by the US and other western-based human rights groups.
US President Donald Trump cited casualty numbers similar to those reported by Iran International days before launching a war on Iran on February 28, but did not disclose where he had gotten the death toll number.
Links
A New York Times report from April said that Israel also lobbied Trump to intervene in Iran, citing the protests that engulfed the country. Israel told the US that Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, could assist in "fomenting" further riots and rebellions to collapse the Islamic Republic.
According to the FT, Volant Media issued an allotment of 648 million shares, valued at about $870m, on December 13.
On that day, all of Volant’s original 50,000 shares were transferred from British-Saudi film executive Adel Abdulkarim Alabdulkarim, who is Volant’s company director and secretary, to Info-Cast Cayman Limited, an offshore company, the FT reported.
Alabdulkarim has “significant control” of Volant, the FT reported, citing his ability to appoint or remove the majority of the company’s board of directors. But Info-Cast Cayman was listed as the immediate parent company at year-end 2024.
Saleh Hussain Aldowais is the sole director of Info-Cast Cayman, the FT reported, citing Cayman corporate records. A person with that name is the chief operations officer at the Saudi Arabian state-backed Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG).
SRMG is a publicly traded company in Saudi Arabia that operates over 30 media companies and news outlets, including ASharq Al-Awsat, Arab News and Asharq News, which has a partnership with Bloomberg.
A spokesperson for Iran International told the FT that no new funds were injected into the company as part of the debt-for-equity deal.
They said the network “has never received funding from any government or state entity - including Saudi Arabia or Israel - whether directly or indirectly”.
“Where individuals associated with the business hold other external commercial roles, those interests are entirely separate… held in a personal capacity and have no bearing on the editorial, operational or financial independence of the network,” the person added.
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How this story developed
Full timelineAlto has tracked this across 2 days of coverage from 1 outlet.
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The Story At A Glance
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- • Iran International received approximately $870 million in debt relief through a debt-for-equity swap involving its parent company, Volant Media UK.
- • Ownership of Volant Media shifted to Info-Cast Cayman Limited, an offshore entity directed by a high-ranking official from the Saudi state-backed Saudi Research and Media Group.
- • The financial restructuring occurred shortly before major unrest in Iran and reports of massive casualty numbers used to justify military action.
Iran International is a London-based broadcaster that promotes regime change in Iran and supports the former Shah's lineage. The outlet claims financial independence despite evidence of deep ties to Saudi Arabian state-linked media interests.
Christian Perspective
The use of deceptive financial maneuvers to influence foreign populations mirrors the biblical warning against bearing false witness. Using media as a tool for geopolitical manipulation undermines the truth required for a moral society. We must remain vigilant against any entity that uses falsehoods to incite violence and chaos.
Implications
This situation demonstrates how globalist financial networks manipulate information to drive American military involvement in foreign conflicts. It threatens American sovereignty by allowing foreign interests to dictate the narratives that lead to war. Protecting the nation requires skepticism of media outlets that serve the agendas of foreign powers.
Broader Trends
This reflects the ongoing pattern of elite-driven information warfare designed to destabilize nations and reshape global hierarchies. The blurring of lines between private media and state-backed interests is a hallmark of modern decadence and corruption. Such tactics are used to erode the traditional order and promote globalist control.
Takeaway
Americans must prioritize an America First approach by questioning media narratives that serve foreign interests rather than our own. We should demand transparency in how information is funded to prevent being manipulated into unnecessary wars. Trust in God and the truth, rather than the manufactured chaos of globalist media machines.
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