Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday announced that Iran International along with BBC Persian and other media in exile covering Iran had been shortlisted for their annual Press Freedom Award for courage.

The global media advocate listed 25 individual journalists, teams of journalists, photographers and media outlets for prizes in five categories - courage, impact, independence, photography and African investigations.

"Since September 2022, exiled Iranian journalists have faced unprecedented pressure and attacks from the Iranian government. Iran International and BBC Persian have been labelled as enemies and publicly threatened by the Iranian regime," RSF said.

"Their journalists have received death threats and, in March, an Iran International journalist, Pouria Zeraati, was stabbed outside his home in London," it added. "These journalists are not only subjected to alarming levels of online abuse — including graphic rape and death threats, hacking and smear campaigns — but their families in Iran are frequently targeted and punished by the authorities."

RSF's awards ceremony will be held on December 3 in Washington DC.