Iranians in United Kingdom: a history

Iranians have lived in London since the 19th century; the Persian newspaper Qanun was published there from 1890. A wave of the former elite arrived after 1979, and asylum seekers from the 1980s. BBC Persian and Iran International broadcast from London, and United Kingdom authorities have reported threats against their journalists. The UK hosted the second-largest number of refugees from Iran at the end of 2025: 42,857 (UNHCR).