Issuance of Regulations for Foreign Media Activities; Operations Permitted with Approval from the IRGC and Ministry of Intelligence

According to the newly issued regulations on "Issuing Permits for Establishing Foreign Media Representatives and Journalists and Media Activists" by Mohammad Mokhber, the First Vice President of Ebrahim Raisi, any media activity in Iran for this group will only be permitted with the approval and oversight of the "Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Organization". Those labeled as "affiliated and close to" Israel are prohibited from any activities in Iran. According to Mokhber's announcement, individuals producing or disseminating media content for foreign audiences in the virtual space are also subject to this law. Requests must be sent to the embassy or consulate of the Islamic Republic of Iran abroad, and then the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance will respond to the requests after consulting with the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Organization. This regulation emphasizes that in the event of a disagreement between the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Organization, the opinion of the authority that opposed the inquiry will be the basis for action. Article 2, Clause 2 of this regulation states that the "lack of notoriety for hostility and lack of affiliation" to Israel must be confirmed by the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Organization. It is noteworthy that foreign media activities in Iran do not occur freely, and in addition to the prohibition of representatives from certain media, including foreign Persian-language media, their coverage of current events in Iran is directly controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence, the IRGC Intelligence Organization, and other security agencies. In this context, during the peak of the 2009 protests, the German news agency reported that the Foreign Press Department of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance had issued a directive to all foreign media offices in Iran, "seriously refraining from reflecting any events without direct permission from that ministry." Reporters Without Borders has assessed the Islamic Republic as "one of the most repressive governments in the world" regarding media freedom, ranking Iran 177th out of 180 countries in terms of freedom of expression. The International Federation of Journalists also reported that since the onset of the nationwide protests in 2022 until the end of 2023, at least seven publications and news outlets have been suspended, shut down, or had their licenses revoked due to "pressure from security agencies or judicial orders." Reporters Without Borders: The British government must work to protect Iranian journalists in exile. The "Defending the Free Flow of Information" organization reported that the Islamic Republic pursued 91 journalists, media, and media activists in three months. Exclusive interviews with two journalists in Iran; from combating "disinformation" to arrests on charges of "black propaganda." Fact-checking | Claims of support for "press freedom" by the Islamic Republic's propaganda media.