C4 News ambushes Iranian ambassador with interviewer in Israel despite agreement

A day after facing hostile questions from pro-Israel MPs about Iran daring to retaliate

Channel 4 News appears to have ambushed Iranian ambassador to the UK Seyed Ali Mousavi during an interview about Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel. It seems clear that Mousavi had agreed to the interview on condition that no one speaking from Israel was involved, but after the broadcaster’s UK studio had sound issues, the station brought in Matt Frei from Tel Aviv to conduct the interview, with Frei telling Mousavi, who apparently couldn’t see him, that:

I know you have some issues with me talking to you from here, but that’s what’s going to happen now, if that’s alright.

On Tuesday, Mousavi had appeared in Parliament as a guest of the Foreign Affairs Committee of MPs where Israel-supporting MPs, despite the occupation’s unprovoked attack – including terrorist bombings and close-range drone attacks – on Iran that started the current conflict, demanded to know why Iran was ‘escalating’ the situation and why Israel’s bombing of Iranian television studios was a war crime.

Mousavi, uncowed, condemned Israel’s “terrorist and criminal aggression…against the Islamic Republic of Iran” and went on:

Israel has committed a blatant act of aggression against the sovereign and territorial integrity of Iran. Its relentless campaign of atrocity against all people continues unabated. This is a serious violation of the United Nations charter and fundamental principles of international law. This attack crossed all red lines.

Most alarmingly, Israel deliberately targeted peaceful nuclear facilities operating under full IAEA safeguards and monitoring. This is a dangerous and illegal act. There is no doubt about it. It posed a serious risk of releasing radioactive material. If Iran had not immediately contained the situation, the consequences could have been catastrophic. Israel’s claim of surgical strikes is false and misleading. In contrast, it has launched a campaign of unlawful and indiscriminate attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran. Civilians were killed. Homes, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed. These are facts, not claims.

The Israeli regime deliberately strikes densely populated civilian areas in multiple large Iranian cities where millions live. So far, almost 1,500 people have been killed or injured. At least 224 civilians, including women and children, have been killed. Many of the victims are children. In one brutal attack on a residential building in Tehran, around 20 children were martyred. Due to the severity of the injuries, these numbers may rise. Israel also targeted vital civilian and economic infrastructure. Water storage, fuel depots and petrochemical facilities, including the Asaluyeh refinery in Bushehr, were hit. Hospitals were also struck. These are not accidents. These are war crimes.

The Israeli regime deliberately targeted the office of the Iranian broadcasting organisation during a live broadcast. This appalling attack constitutes a blatant war crime and a direct assault on press freedom. The Israeli regime has once again demonstrated that it is the foremost enemy of truth. It holds the disgraceful record of being the world’s leading perpetrator of violence against journalists and media professionals.

In response to these barbaric attacks and aggression, Iran exercised its inherent and legitimate right to self-defence in line with article 51 of the United Nations charter. Our response was and is defensive, targeted and proportionate. It is solely aimed at deterring and preventing the recurrence of such crimes. Iran will resolutely defend its security and territorial integrity. We focus only on military and economic assets involved in aggression. Iran does not seek war or escalation, but we will not hesitate to defend our people, our territory and our sovereignty.

Unlike the Israeli regime, Iran respects international humanitarian law. We did not target civilians. US forces supported Israeli aggression. Without US weapons, intelligence and political backing, this attack could not have happened. The United States will share responsibility for this unlawful act. This aggression came just as the sixth round of the nuclear negotiation was about to resume in Muscat last Sunday. Iran came to the table in good faith and with new proposals aimed at bridging differences. The US, however, responded in bad faith.

This hypocrisy undermines trust and diplomacy. Israel tries to sabotage diplomacy through force. This is a pattern of Israeli behaviour—derail talks, escalate conflicts, and distract from its ongoing crimes, especially the genocide in Gaza. It is now committing genocide in Gaza with hunger and weapons, with different limitations and problems for innocent people. Let me be clear. Iran has not attacked Israel. Iran has not started any war. The so-called existential threat narrative is false. It has no legal basis. Also, the Israeli invocation of pre-emptive self-defence illegally and dangerously erodes the foundation of the prohibition of the use of force in international relations. It is used only to justify aggression and hide Israel’s war crimes. Iran warns that any country assisting Israeli aggression will share legal responsibility for the consequences.

Last Friday, Iran called for an urgent Security Council meeting, and our request is simple. The council must act now according to the United Nations charter, the most important achievement of the human community in the 20th century. Our request is simple: the council must act now, condemn this act of aggression, stop the aggressor, and defend the charter and international law, but the council has failed to do that. Its silence and indifference undermine the credibility and foundations of the United Nations. We thank those members of the Security Council who stood on the right side of history. We also thank our regional partners in various mechanisms, including the OIC and the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, for their principled stand and joint statement in condemning this aggression and supporting Iran’s right to self-defence.

Iran will continue to exercise its right to self-defence until Israeli regime aggression stops, or the international community, and especially the Security Council, takes meaningful action. Yesterday, we sent another letter to address the Secretary-General and the Security Council, repeating our urgent request. We call on the Security Council to condemn this act of aggression, hold aggressors and their enablers accountable, and take urgent action to prevent further aggression. Inaction will only embolden the aggressor and weaken the rule of law

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