Saeed va marxar de l'Iran durant el període en què molts periodistes van ser perseguits per cobrir les protestes, i es va traslladar a Londres, on va estudiar un màster de periodisme i es va unir a The Guardian com a periodista en plantilla.
He left Iran around the period many journalists were facing persecution for their coverage of the protests, and moved to London, where he completed a Masters in journalism and joined The Guardian as a staff journalist.