ZOA & IAL Condemn Iran International TV for Spreading Hamas Propaganda and Defaming Israel

The Zionist Organization of America and Iranian Americans for Liberty unequivocally condemn this entire campaign of deception and call on the international community to hold Hamas, the implicated UN factions, and complicit media outlets accountable.

Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) & Iranian Americans for Liberty (IAL) Condemn UK-Based Iran International TV Channel and its Editorial Board Member for Repeating Hamas Lies and Making Libelous Statements Towards Israel

The Zionist Organization of America and Iranian Americans for Liberty (IAL) strongly condemn statements by Shahid Alavi on the Persian program of Iran International TV Channel. On July 23rd, Mr. Alavi, a member of Iran International’s Editorial Board, purportedly stated on live TV that “Israel is using hunger as a tool to crush Palestinians and force them to leave the Gaza Strip; a reality that the world is aware of but has not yet responded to seriously.” These statements are a repetition of Hamas propaganda and are manifestly wrong.

The fact that Mr. Alavi, who is based in Washington DC, is the Editor-in-Chief for Digital at Iran International, a UK-based TV channel with possible ties to state financing, is disappointing, but not surprising.

While not very well known outside of Iranian political circles, Mr. Alavi is a symptom of both the impact of foreign influence and US taxpayer funding being weaponized against the national security interests of the United States and its close ally, the State of Israel.

The operations of Iran International TV, whose sources of funding remain non-transparent, are heavily influenced by individuals with close and direct ties to the Iranian Islamic Government. Its Executive Editor and Director of News, Mr. Ali Asghar Ramezanpour, is a former Islamic Republic government official. His role was Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, with direct oversight of the Islamic Regime’s propaganda and censorship operations. Its General Manager, Mahmoud Enayat, has close ties to former members of the “Office of Strengthening Unity between Religious Seminaries and Universities”, an Iranian government organization that was created by Ayatollah Khomeini to support hostage-taking activities against the United States.

Mr. Alavi’s past activities allegedly include the receipt of indirect US taxpayer funding through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Freedom House between 2019 and 2021 for a US government project titled “We Are Digital Citizens.” The focus of these projects was purported to include countering “Fake Narratives and Fake News”. We find it ironic, but not surprising, that a recipient of a USAID grant about Fake News has engaged in promoting Hamas lies and propaganda. Mr. Enayat’s past also includes receiving USAID grants prior to joining Iran International TV.

Ever since Hamas lost the ability to govern Gaza after the October 7th, 2023, massacre and the hostage crisis and war that followed, one of the main sources of revenue for Hamas has been monopolizing the distribution of food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. Hamas routinely seizes the food and humanitarian aid that is provided by the international community, often at gunpoint, then sells the food and other daily necessities to the people of Gaza. Hamas has continued this extortion scheme over the past two years in cooperation with the far-left factions within the United Nations in Gaza. The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) has recently disrupted this source of revenue (indeed extortion) for Hamas. Therefore, Hamas is working in opposition to the GHF, deliberately obstructing the distribution of food and humanitarian aid in Gaza. Hamas and its UN allies have chosen to block food distribution, manufacturing famine as a weapon in this political conflict.

Any signs of famine and malnutrition is the consequence of coordinated efforts by Hamas and the UN operatives on the ground to prevent critical aid from reaching civilians. In this cruel manipulation, hunger is exploited as leverage to pressure the GHF and the broader international community. This tragic deception is compounded by the anti-Israeli media outlets such as Iran International, which still remains under the control of the reformist faction within the Islamic Republic of Iran. Rather than exposing the collusion between Hamas and the UN, Iran International propagates false narratives that shift the blame to Israel for the famine, effectively echoing Hamas’s propaganda and misleading the audience, particularly inside Iran.

Iran International’s steadfast adherence to the Islamic Republic's propaganda is rooted in their staff's deep ties with various factions of the Islamic Regime going back decades. Operating under the guise of impartial journalism, the outlet actively promotes anti-Israel agendas and undermines efforts to reveal the truth behind Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

The truth is that the famine in Gaza is a manufactured crisis, a tool of political manipulation. Hamas, supported by the far-left UN operatives, exploits the suffering of Gazans to gain leverage in its power struggle with the U.S.-backed GHF. Meanwhile, Iran International and other regime-affiliated outlets continue to repeat the Islamic Republic Regime's talking points instead of at least mentioning contrary statements by the US and Israeli officials. To the Hamas sympathizers, those statements are illegitimate and not worthy of their audience's time.

August 6, 2025