Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, labeled foreign-based Persian-language media outlets as “the enemy” and declared that individuals working for these organizations could be included in the regime’s “military target bank.”
On August 26, speaking at the unveiling ceremony for the foreign-language pages of Defa Press, Shekarchi claimed, without presenting evidence, that media outlets outside Iran are directly connected to Mossad, the CIA, and intelligence agencies of hostile nations and receive “operational guidance and logistical support” from them.
Claiming that “the center of gravity of the enemy’s media empire is controlled by Zionists,” he explicitly named outlets such as BBC Persian, Iran International, and Radio Farda as components of this apparatus.
Military and security officials of the Islamic Republic have previously accused foreign-based Persian media outlets of collaborating with foreign governments and intelligence agencies while issuing threats against journalists working for these outlets. Furthermore, the Iranian Judiciary has extensively confiscated the assets of families of Iranian journalists residing abroad in recent months.
