Skip to the story
All StoriesPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusiness & EconomyScience & TechHealthClimateMedia
All stories
Politics18 outlets ran this4 min read

Iran parliament criminalises interviews with US and Israeli media

Bill imposes prison sentences of up to two years for contact with outlets deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Iran parliament criminalises interviews with US and Israeli media

What this story says

  • Iran’s parliament passed a bill on 16 August 2026 that criminalises interviews or other contact with US or Israeli media, or outlets financed by either country.
  • Violations carry prison sentences of six months to two years, with cases to be heard by Revolutionary Courts.
  • The bill must still be reviewed by the Guardian Council before it can become law.
  • Interviews with other foreign media will require notification to Iran’s intelligence ministry.

Who covered it

Left 8%(1)Centre 34%(4)Right 58%(7)

Percentages are shares of the 12 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 6 of the 18 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

56/100

Craft

85/100

Hype

15/100

18 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 1 of the 12 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Iran’s parliament approved a bill on 16 August 2026 that makes it a crime to give interviews or take part in discussions with media deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic. The legislation targets US and Israeli outlets, as well as any media financed by either country. Violations are punishable by six months to two years in prison.

The bill must still be reviewed by the Guardian Council, a body that vets legislation for compliance with Iran’s constitution and Islamic law. If approved, it will expand existing restrictions on contact with foreign entities. Interviews with other foreign media will require notification to the intelligence ministry. Contact with foreign embassies or organisations without written permission from the foreign ministry will also be punishable by fines and loss of social rights.

The legislation also increases penalties for economic crimes linked to foreigners, bans providing information to foreign entities without intelligence ministry approval, and restricts scientific cooperation with foreign institutions outside an approved list. Policy proposals made under the direction of foreign intelligence services that harm Iran’s security or independence could result in prison sentences of up to 30 years.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mentioned that the bill must still be reviewed by the Guardian Council. The Deccan Herald was the only report to include the case of Yalda Moaiery and the bill’s provisions on economic crimes and scientific cooperation. None of the centre-rated digests mentioned the bill’s restrictions on policy proposals made under foreign direction or the role of Revolutionary Courts in hearing cases.

Tags:#IranMediaLaw#USIsraelRelations#PressFreedom#MiddleEastPolitics#GuardianCouncil

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 16 Aug 2026, 14:45, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

1 rated outlet

  • The Deccan Herald, the only left-rated outlet with a full report, led on the bill’s broader implications. It quoted Iran’s Shargh newspaper as the source of the bill’s details and noted that the legislation would harden penalties for economic crimes committed under foreign direction. The report also mentioned that the bill would restrict scientific cooperation with foreign institutions unless they appear on an approved list.
  • The Deccan Herald included a case study: Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery was sentenced this month to 15 years under a 2025 law for alleged cooperation with hostile states, including giving interviews to US and Israel-linked media. The report described the bill as part of a pattern of criminalising cooperation with foreign entities, citing a 2025 law passed after a 12-day war with Israel.

Centre

4 rated outlets

  • The four centre-rated digests, Jerusalem Post, WTVB, Reuters and The Japan Times, all carried the core facts: the bill’s approval by parliament, the two-year prison sentence for violations, and the requirement for Guardian Council review. The Jerusalem Post and The Japan Times added that interviews with other foreign media would require notification to the intelligence ministry.
  • None of the centre-rated digests mentioned the bill’s provisions on economic crimes, scientific cooperation, or the case of Yalda Moaiery. The Reuters digest, which was republished by WTVB, was the most widely cited among the digests.

Right

7 rated outlets

  • The seven right-rated digests, India Today, regionalmedianews.com, The Straits Times, SRN News, WKZO, WTAQ and WSAU, all led on the prison sentence for contact with hostile media. India Today’s headline framed the bill as a direct ban: “Talk to hostile foreign media, go to jail: Iran to ban US, Israeli outlets contact.”
  • The digests from regionalmedianews.com, SRN News, WKZO, WTAQ and WSAU were identical, repeating the Reuters digest verbatim. The Straits Times added a call to “read more” but did not include additional details. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the bill’s provisions on economic crimes, scientific cooperation, or the requirement for intelligence ministry notification for other foreign media.

Read it at the source

18 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

1

Centre

4

Right

7

Not rated

6

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Iran parliament criminalises interviews with US and Israeli media?
Of the 12 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 8% are rated left, 34% are rated centre, 58% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 18. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Iran parliament criminalises interviews with US and Israeli media left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 12 rated outlets on this story, 8% are rated left, 34% are rated centre, 58% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Iran parliament criminalises interviews with US and Israeli media biased?
Iran parliament criminalises interviews with US and Israeli media is one event reported by 18 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Iran parliament criminalises interviews with US and Israeli media?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Iran parliament criminalises interviews with US and Israeli media?
18 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What does the new Iranian bill criminalise?
The bill criminalises interviews or other communications with US or Israeli media, or outlets financed by either country. Violations are punishable by six months to two years in prison. It also requires notification to the intelligence ministry for interviews with other foreign media and restricts contact with foreign embassies without permission.
Who must approve the bill before it becomes law?
The bill must be reviewed by Iran’s Guardian Council, a body that ensures legislation complies with the constitution and Islamic law. The council has the power to approve, reject, or request amendments to the bill before it can become law.
Which outlets reported on the case of Yalda Moaiery?
The Deccan Herald was the only outlet to report on the case of Yalda Moaiery, an Iranian photojournalist sentenced to 15 years in prison under a 2025 law for alleged cooperation with hostile states, including giving interviews to US and Israel-linked media.

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

More in Politics

All Politics →
Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 10 off the coast of Iran. On Friday, Canada announced new sanctions on five Iranian individuals, accusing them of carrying out actions regarding the waterway that undermine international peace. (Ali Saeedi/Getty Images)5 min readFive Iranian officials sanctioned by Canada over Strait of Hormuz disruptionRead storyTaliban mark fifth anniversary in power as UN warns of rights crisis5 min readTaliban mark fifth anniversary in power as UN warns of rights crisisRead storyPresident Donald Trump arrives to speak at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, on July 22.5 min readTrump approves $30m PAC spending to shore up Republican midterm candidatesRead story

Elsewhere on the site

US announces unprecedented sanctions and indefinite blockade on IranConflict & Security•4 min readUS announces unprecedented sanctions and indefinite blockade on IranUS Central Command denies Israeli report that commander pushed for Iran strikesConflict & Security•4 min readUS Central Command denies Israeli report that commander pushed for Iran strikesTrump claims Strait of Hormuz will become US territory after Iran defeatConflict & Security•5 min readTrump claims Strait of Hormuz will become US territory after Iran defeatUS Threatens Indefinite Iran Blockade as Oil Prices Rise to $87.49 per BarrelBusiness & Economy•4 min readUS Threatens Indefinite Iran Blockade as Oil Prices Rise to $87.49 per Barrel
Iran parliament bans interviews with US and Israeli media | MediaBias News