Quick Facts
Biography
Fardad Farahzad (Persian: فرداد فرحزاد), is a British Iranian journalist who works for the BBC World Service. He is a news presenter and reporter with the BBC Persian TV. He has anchored and covered many major Iranian and international stories for the network, including Iran's Nuclear Program, Arab Spring, 2012 US Presidential Election, Brussels bombings and 2016 Nice attack. He gained "cult status" in 2016 after "liking" almost every post on the BBC News Facebook page. Farahzad later explained that this was due to the Facebook algorithm, which makes verified users appear first.
Personal life
Farahzad was born in Bandar Anzali, northern Iran, in 1986. He moved to the UAE in 2003 where he studied at Ajman University of Science and Technology and the Dubai University. He currently lives in London.
Controversies
In March 2013, Farahzad interviewed Babak Zanjani, a controversial Iranian billionaire who was later arrested and sentenced to death by the Iranian authorities.