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What to do if you’re contacted or threatened by Iranian security authorities

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If you are in immediate danger, move to a safer place if you can and call the emergency service for the country where you are. Do not wait to gather screenshots or build a complete case file. If the danger is not immediate, contact local police or the appropriate national reporting authority, preserve communications when it is safe, and seek qualified legal or victim-support help. This is general safety information, not individualized legal advice; police powers, reporting channels, legal rights and consular assistance depend on your location and citizenship.

Start with your location and the level of danger

The first decision is practical: where are you physically located now, and could someone harm you soon? A message, summons or suspicious approach can be frightening, but the response route depends on whether you face an emergency, a non-emergency threat, or detention risk inside Iran.

If someone may hurt you now

Leave the immediate area if you can do so without increasing the danger. Go to a staffed public place, a trusted person’s home or another location you judge safer, and call the local emergency service. Tell the operator your location, what is happening, whether anyone is injured, whether a weapon or forced entry is involved, and whether children or other vulnerable people are present. If speaking openly is unsafe, use whatever emergency contact method your local service supports.

In the United Kingdom, the Home Office says to call 999 when a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger. That number is for the UK; it is not a worldwide emergency number. In the United States, contact local emergency services for an immediate threat. Elsewhere, use the emergency number for the country in which you are physically located.

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If the threat is serious but not happening now

Report it through the police or national authority serving the place where you are. In the UK, the Home Office gives 101 or local police for non-emergencies. In the United States, a person affected by possible transnational repression can report to the FBI through tips.fbi.gov. Those are jurisdiction-specific examples, not a universal procedure. If you are elsewhere, verify the current local route through an official government or police website.

You do not need to prove Iranian state direction before making a report. Authorities can assess your account alongside other information. Describe what you observed, what was said or sent, why you believe there may be a connection to Iranian authorities, and what safety concern exists. Separate facts you directly observed from assumptions or information supplied by someone else.

Report first; document without putting yourself at risk

The UK Home Office explicitly says there is no need to gather evidence before contacting police. Reporting promptly matters more than producing a perfect file. If collecting information would expose you to surveillance, confrontation or further contact, stop and seek safety instead.

For an in-person approach

As soon as you can do so safely, make a short, factual log. Record the date and time, location, what happened, exact words you remember, names or descriptions, witnesses, vehicles and registration details if they were visible without taking risks, and any injury or property damage. Note how you learned an individual’s identity; do not label a person as an Iranian agent merely because of an accent, nationality or appearance.

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For calls, messages and online contact

Keep the original email, message, voicemail or chat where possible. Save screenshots as a secondary copy, but do not rely on a screenshot alone: preserve the original conversation, sender details, dates, times and visible telephone number. Retain the device on which the communication arrived. The FBI recommends preserving communications and the devices associated with them.

Do not reply to abusive or threatening online messages simply to obtain more evidence. The UK guidance recommends preserving messages and call details where possible and reporting abusive content to the platform. Block or restrict contact only if doing so is safe and will not erase information you may need; if you are unsure, ask police or a qualified adviser before changing the account.

Use a simple, secure record

  • Write entries soon after each incident while your memory is clear.
  • Keep the record factual and chronological; mark uncertainty as uncertainty.
  • Store a copy somewhere the suspected actor cannot easily access, but do not move files in a way that creates new danger.
  • Tell a trusted person where the record is and how to reach you if you stop responding.
  • Never take photographs, follow a vehicle, meet a contact or keep a conversation going just to improve documentation.

Take basic digital-safety steps, not unproven counter-surveillance measures

Install current operating-system and app updates. The UK Home Office recommends this as basic cyber hygiene; it does not claim that updates defeat sophisticated state surveillance. Treat updates as routine risk reduction, not a guarantee of privacy.

Preserve the original devices that received communications when you can do so safely, particularly if police or a lawyer may need them. Avoid deleting messages, resetting a phone or handing a device to an unverified person. If you suspect an account or device is compromised, use a different device or a trusted professional to obtain advice before making major changes.

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Do not rely on consumer “surveillance detectors,” signal scanners or similar products as a solution. The authoritative guidance available for this situation does not establish that such products can protect someone from state action. A qualified lawyer, police investigator or established victim-support organization can help decide what technical examination is appropriate.

When the contact happens outside Iran: understand transnational repression

The UK Home Office uses transnational repression for state-directed crimes against people outside the state’s territory. Examples can include harassment, online disinformation, surveillance, stalking, physical threats and attempts to force someone to return to their country of origin. A person does not have to identify the actor with certainty before reporting conduct that is threatening or criminal.

United Kingdom

For immediate danger in the UK, call 999. For a non-emergency, call 101 or contact local police. The Home Office’s May 2026 guidance advises residents to retain records when safe and consider their cyber security. Police can assess a report without requiring you to establish state direction in advance.

United States

For immediate danger in the United States, call local emergency services. The FBI accepts reports of transnational repression at tips.fbi.gov. Include the communications, devices and other records you can safely provide, and explain any immediate safety concern.

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Other countries

Use the emergency service and police or national reporting channel for the country where you are. Procedures, definitions and investigative powers vary. A foreign embassy may be able to explain its own consular process, but it cannot replace local emergency services or guarantee protection.

If you are in Iran or may be detained there

Detention risk and consular access are separate questions. The U.S. State Department warns U.S. nationals, including dual U.S.-Iranian nationals, of serious risk of questioning, arrest and detention. It also says the U.S. government has no diplomatic or consular relations with Iran. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office warns British nationals about security-related arrest and detention and says UK government support in Iran is extremely limited.

These are nationality-specific advisory statements. They do not establish the same level of risk or assistance for every citizenship, and they do not promise access, release or protection. Dual nationality should not be treated as removing detention risk. Check the current advisory for your citizenship before travel or while making a safety plan; both advisories can change.

Make a plan before contact escalates

  • Tell a trusted person where you are and agree how you will signal that you need help.
  • Keep essential contact information and copies of important documents accessible in a way that is lawful and safe.
  • Identify a qualified lawyer or established rights-support organization familiar with the country and the type of allegation involved.
  • Ask your own government’s consular service what assistance it can and cannot provide. Do not assume that a consulate can intervene in detention or obtain immediate access.
  • If officials contact you, remain calm, avoid confrontation and do not make promises about what you can provide. Obtain legal advice as soon as it is safely possible.

Do not attempt to evade lawful authorities, destroy evidence or arrange a risky meeting to test whether a threat is genuine. If you are detained, prioritize physical safety and access to qualified legal help. The exact rights, procedures and available remedies depend on Iranian law, your citizenship and the circumstances of the detention.

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What broader reporting can—and cannot—establish

Human Rights Watch reported on 24 February 2026 that Iranian authorities had carried out mass arbitrary arrests and detentions after protests and described allegations of incommunicado detention, torture and enforced disappearance. EUAA’s Iran country guidance, published in January 2025, describes reports of arbitrary arrest, illegal detention, fair-trial and due-process violations, and torture or other ill-treatment. EUAA’s Iran page warns that some conclusions may no longer be valid in light of hostilities as of 27 March 2026.

Those reports are serious contextual evidence about documented patterns. They are not a prediction that a particular reader will be arrested, tortured or harmed. Your own account, current local conditions and the identity of the authority involved still matter. Do not use a general report as a substitute for an emergency call, a police report or individualized legal advice.

Choose the response path by urgency and jurisdiction

Situation First action Important qualification
Immediate danger in the UK Move to safety if possible; call 999 999 is a UK emergency number only.
Non-emergency threat in the UK Call 101 or contact local police; preserve records if safe The Home Office says you do not need to collect evidence before reporting.
Possible transnational repression in the United States Use local emergency services for imminent danger; report to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov The FBI route is for the United States.
Threat in another country Use that country’s emergency service or police/national reporting route Agencies, definitions and procedures vary; verify locally.
Contact or detention risk inside Iran Prioritize immediate safety, seek qualified legal help and check your government’s current advisory Consular assistance may be limited or unavailable and depends on citizenship.

Avoid common responses that increase danger

  • Waiting for a complete file: report when the threat is credible; add records later.
  • Confronting or baiting the contact: do not provoke a person to obtain proof.
  • Assuming nationality proves identity: report conduct and evidence, not stereotypes.
  • Deleting or altering originals: preserve messages, call details and devices when safe.
  • Buying a detection gadget: no reviewed authoritative source establishes that consumer devices defeat state surveillance.
  • Treating a human-rights pattern as a personal forecast: use country reports for context, then obtain advice about your circumstances.

Keep information current

Emergency numbers, police procedures, travel advisories, diplomatic access and human-rights conditions can change quickly. The UK and U.S. instructions above apply to their own jurisdictions or nationals. Recheck your local police and emergency guidance and your government’s current consular advisory at the time you act. If you publish or share this information with someone at risk, include the date you verified those details.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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