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Iran’s parliament approved the measure with 174 votes in favor, six against and two abstentions during a virtual session on Tuesday, according to IranWire. The provision forms Article 22 of draft legislation titled Countering the Influence of Intelligence Services and Foreign Governments or Entities. Lawmakers acted as the chamber continued its review of the broader bill, which must still undergo scrutiny by the Guardian Council before taking full effect.
Under the text, Iranian citizens both at home and abroad may not grant interviews or take part in discussions with media outlets or individual commentators that the Ministry of Intelligence has publicly labeled hostile, dpa international reported. The ban also covers organizations owned, managed or funded by agents tied to governments classified at level one or level two, including the United States and Israel. Government officials received an explicit exemption from the restriction through an amendment offered by a member of parliament from Tehran.
Violators face penalties under the sixth degree of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, ranging from more than six months to two years in prison, monetary fines, 31 to 74 lashes and the deprivation of certain social rights, the semi-official ISNA news agency stated. The Ministry of Intelligence holds sole authority to compile and announce the roster of prohibited media and influencers. A letter the ministry sent on May 3, 2026, and later published in the Official Gazette identified 44 media networks together with 61 individuals, IranWire reported.
The listed entities include Iran International, BBC Persian, Radio Farda, Voice of America and Manoto as well as IranWire itself, a National Iranian American Council assessment found. The new rule expands restrictions first introduced after the June 2025 regional conflict that had already criminalized the transfer of images, video and certain unpublished data to such outlets. This latest article goes further by treating participation in an interview or conversation itself as a punishable act even without the exchange of sensitive material.
The wider bill also stiffens sanctions for economic offenses carried out under foreign direction, requires prior notification for contacts with other overseas media and limits scientific cooperation with institutions outside an approved roster, The Times of Israel noted in coverage of earlier stages of the legislation. Parliament had endorsed the overall framework of the draft in August 2026 before turning to detailed articles. Officials have described the package as essential to blocking what they characterize as disguised intelligence activities by adversarial states.
The measure arrives against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions that followed military exchanges between Iran, the United States and Israel in 2025, according to multiple wire-service dispatches. Qatar Tribune reported that the parliament’s action forms the latest step in efforts to counter foreign influence through tightened controls on information flows. The Guardian Council is expected to examine the approved provisions for compatibility with Islamic law and the national constitution before any final implementation.
