A hunger striker who says he is prepared to die in his attempt to pressure the UK to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organisation has said his hopes were raised after a “warm” meeting with a government minister.
Vahid Beheshti, 45, is no longer able to walk after surviving for 62 days on a diet of water, coffee and a handful of sugar cubes.
On Tuesday, he was invited to the Foreign Office in central London, outside which he is camped, to speak to Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, about his protest.
Mr Beheshti was wheeled out of the building to chants of “UK, put them on the list, IRGC terrorists” by supporters after the meeting.
He told The National Mr Ahmad had said he wanted to work together on the issue, and urged him to end his protest, a request Mr Beheshti refused.
“He was really warm, really welcoming,” said Mr Beheshti, adding that he felt like his body had begun to “eat his muscles” and has developed pain around the bones, joints, “everywhere”.
“[Lord Ahmad] was fasting today and he said 'I understand your state'. And he accepted everything that I said — the terrorist activities of the IRGC, what they have done.”
He said Mr Ahmad had told him the government was working on the issue, as well as pointing out that it imposed sanctions on four IRGC commanders on Monday.
“I said 'sanctions are not effective'. These people won’t even leave Iran, so they laugh at this when we put sanctions on them. He said ‘I would really like to work with you constantly.'
“I said 'I am here. We can work together.' He said ‘not in this state'.
“I said 'I have to unfortunately tell you I am going to carry on till we get this done for our safety and security here. For our British values here. For our freedom and democracy here.'
He said 'I am going to take your message to the PM and Foreign Minister. I am going to try my best to work on this issue' and I said 'yes, let’s work together'.”
Asked whether he felt hopeful, he replied: “It was very warm, very welcoming. Now they understand I am serious and I am not going to give up.
“I feel it is another achievement after 62 days. We got another achievement. I think they really get it that this is a very serious issue for many of us.
“I am not going anywhere, there is no exit plan. I will wait until we get this done.”
Born and raised in Iran, the activist and journalist was twice arrested by the IRGC before fleeing to Britain 24 years ago.
The British-Iranian citizen decided to go on hunger strike after he witnessed the Iranian regime’s attempts to silence freedom of speech in the UK.
Mr Beheshti said he felt he was becoming weaker, but vowed to press ahead with his protest.
“I know that is the price for our safety and security," he added. "For me, for you, for all of us. We shouldn’t allow terrorists to come here and force us to shut down TV stations and censor ourselves. They take the values from us."
Iran has plotted to abduct or kill at least 10 British citizens or people based in the UK, Britain’s domestic spy chief said last year.
Iran International, a television station that broadcasts stories critical of the regime, was forced to temporarily close its London office this year after journalists were threatened by the IRGC.
Speaking outside the Foreign Office on Tuesday, Donya, a supporter of Mr Beheshti’s and a member of the Be Iran’s Voice group, said it had recently launched a campaign to collect signatures in support of the cause to proscribe the IRGC, which now has more than 1,700 signatures.
She told The National: “We got a response last week from the Home Office and not even from [Home Secretary] Suella Braverman herself, just a Home Office representative.
“It was an extremely disappointing letter, because despite Vahid Beheshti being mentioned throughout the open letter, the Home Office representative did not once mention Vahid Beheshti in that response at all. And he completely ignored his campaign.
“We are here, we are protesting, we are risking our lives. And we know this is a valid threat because the Iran International TV channel only three months ago had to leave London to go to Washington because MI5 couldn’t deal with the severity of death threats against the journalists here.
“My parents emigrated here so we could be safe. And we are not.”
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Results
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Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
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Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
More on animal trafficking
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
