Iranian Journalists Silenced Amid Rising Tensions with Israel

June 17, 2025 – Iran/Israel – 

As the Israel–Iran conflict intensifies, Iranian authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on journalists and media outlets inside the country, severely restricting press freedom. According to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the government has issued warnings, enforced censorship, and made arrests in an effort to control public discourse during the crisis.

On June 13, shortly after Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, editors and reporters from several Tehran-based private newspapers were summoned and ordered not to publish any content beyond official government statements. Independent analysis or commentary—particularly on social media—was explicitly forbidden, with threats of immediate dismissal for non-compliance. One Tehran journalist described the situation bluntly: “We cannot report anything at all.”

The crackdown has extended beyond newsrooms. A freelance journalist living abroad reported being threatened via WhatsApp by Iranian intelligence agents, who warned that any reporting on the conflict would lead to the arrest of the journalist’s family, still residing in Iran. Such tactics reflect the government’s pattern of leveraging familial pressure to silence dissidents abroad.

In tandem, the Iranian government severely restricted access to social media platforms, such as WhatsApp, citing vague “special conditions.” On the same day, Iran’s Attorney General announced the formation of a new task force under the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office aimed at prosecuting cases of “cyberspace misuse” and “psychological harm to society”—a clear move to target digital dissent and independent voices online.

Over the weekend following the airstrikes, at least 16 people were arrested in Isfahan for allegedly expressing support for Israel on social media. In Rafsanjan, authorities confiscated phones and suspended accounts believed to be spreading “propaganda.”

Iran, already one of the world’s top jailers of journalists, is now using the current war as further justification to tighten its grip on information. The CPJ warns that these actions are not only silencing domestic media but also cutting off Iranian citizens from objective global coverage at a time when transparency is critical.

Reference – 

Iranian journalists censored, threatened over reporting Israel conflict