ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian lawmakers on Tuesday approved an article banning Iranian nationals from giving interviews or participating in discussions with media outlets or individual journalists designated as “hostile” by the intelligence ministry, state media reported, as part of a bill aimed at countering what Tehran describes as “foreign infiltration.”
Violations are subject to criminal penalties, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
Earlier this year, Iran imposed a near-total digital blackout for almost three months, cutting citizens off from much of the outside world as security forces carried out a deadly crackdown on protesters in January.
Access to Iran for foreign journalists is tightly controlled by the state and intelligence services. Those granted entry are typically required to travel with government minders throughout their stay.
The latest measure threatens to further restrict contact between Iranians and media outlets outside the country that the intelligence services deem hostile, effectively limiting such engagement to government-approved channels.
Iran’s parliament in mid-August approved the general principles of a sweeping bill, titled the “Bill to Counter the Infiltration of Foreign Intelligence Services, Governments and Institutions,” criminalizing contact with US and Israeli media, foreign-funded organizations and a wide range of overseas institutions.
Article One of the bill designates both the Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization a direct enforcement role as security bodies responsible for investigating offenses and overseeing the reporting system for contacts with foreign media, approving the transfer of information abroad and publishing lists of entities with which cooperation would be permitted.
While the bill grants the IRGC an oversight role, it received significant pushback from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration which took issue with articles in the bill criminalizing and sharply restricting cooperation with foreign universities and institutions.
The published list does not include Rudaw, but lists several Kurdish outlets affiliated with Kurdish parties.
Of note, Iranian authorities have charged 1,895 people for communicating with Israel and countries Tehran describes as “hostile states” and acting "against the country’s national security and interests" by disseminating photos and videos of the protests and aftermath of the airstrikes since the 12-day war in June 2025, Iran’s judiciary announced on Tuesday.
