Iranian parliament approves penalties for interviews with designated hostile media

Iran’s parliament voted on Tuesday, October 6, to approve an article that would punish Iranian nationals for interviews or discussions with media designated hostile by the Intelligence Ministry. The vote was 174 to six, according to Euronews Persian and IranWire. The measure could bring prison terms, fines or flogging, but it is part of a draft bill that has not yet become law.

Who would be covered by Article 22

Article 22 covers interviews and discussions with media outlets or individual commentators publicly designated hostile by the ministry, IranWire reports. It also covers media owned, managed or funded by agents linked to two categories of foreign government. The article is framed around participation in an interview or discussion, extending the restrictions beyond the transfer of material to an outlet.

IranWire reports that two lawmakers abstained from Tuesday’s vote. It says the approved wording exempts state officials. Euronews Persian reports that Tehran MP Alireza Salimi proposed an exemption for government officials and that lawmakers approved it at the same sitting. Those details matter to the scope of a provision otherwise directed at Iranian nationals.

The penalties described by both outlets include imprisonment of more than six months and up to two years, fines, 31 to 74 lashes and deprivation of social rights. These are potential penalties under the draft provision. Neither report establishes how the authorities would apply it to any particular interview if the bill becomes law.

How Iran defines a hostile outlet

IranWire says the Intelligence Ministry submitted a list of 44 media networks and 61 individuals to the Prosecutor-General in a letter dated May 3, later published in the Official Gazette. IranWire says it was listed alongside Iran International, BBC Persian, Radio Farda, Voice of America and Manoto. The report does not establish how Article 22 would be applied in individual cases.

What changed since the bill’s August vote

Parliament had approved the bill’s general framework on August 16. RFE/RL’s Radio Farda reported at the time that 183 lawmakers in the 290-seat parliament backed that framework, which addressed contact with foreign media and institutions. Tuesday’s vote approved a specific article setting out penalties for interviews and discussions with designated media.

IranWire reports that an earlier law already criminalised sending videos, images or information to designated hostile media and required the ministry to update its list at least every six months. In IranWire’s account, Article 22 extends that approach to taking part in interviews or dialogue. That distinction is central for people who speak to an outlet without supplying it with documents or recordings.

The bill has faced opposition within the Iranian government. Euronews Persian reports that President Masoud Pezeshkian’s cabinet identified serious flaws at an August 22 meeting, warning of restrictions on scientific activity, the emigration of skilled people and broader national and international consequences. Presidential legal deputy Majid Ansari warned that criminalising broad categories could harm citizens’ rights; First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref raised concerns for science and technology.

During Tuesday’s sitting, lawmakers also approved Article 20, which concerns unauthorised disclosure of unpublished official information to a foreign agent, according to Euronews Persian and IranWire. The two reports give different prison terms for that provision. The difference does not change what they report about Article 22, but the precise Article 20 penalty requires confirmation against the bill text.

What must happen before the measure becomes law

The Majlis still had to examine the bill’s remaining articles when Euronews Persian reported on October 7. The completed text would then go to the Guardian Council for review. Euronews says that if the council objects and parliament stands by its position, the Expediency Council can make a final ruling. The October 6 vote therefore established parliamentary approval of Article 22, while the bill’s final wording and legal status remained open.