'It is weaker, but will be nastier': Iranian exiles even more fearful of vengeful regime

Tehran is hardening its threats to those in the diaspora who have criticised it from abroad, vowing to severely punish dissent.

- Ruth Michaelson reports

In a cafe in Istanbul, Samad slid his phone across the table, a death threat visible on its screen.

In an unfortunate coincidence, the song Killing Me Softly played over a nearby speaker. The social media post from someone claiming to act in defence of the Iranian regime listed his name alongside other details, such as his university, above a pledge to hunt him down.

It would seem outlandish, Samad said gently, if he had not received threats to scare him before. A few years ago, he was sent pictures showing him walking in the street during a visit to Istanbul; on another occasion, his would-be attackers sent photos of his child at school in Canada.

Samad, whose name has been changed, had come to anticipate such threats every time protests surged inside Iran in recent years. But now he fears those issuing them may be empowered to act, with the regime openly threatening revenge on its critics overseas. As counter-terrorism forces in Britain and worldwide warn that Tehran could use sleeper cells or paid proxies to carry out attacks, exiles such as Samad fear they are prime targets.