BBC Persian, Iran International named military targets by Tehran

Iran's armed forces announced Wednesday that several Persian-language media outlets based abroad, including BBC Persian, are on their "list of military targets," accusing them of working for US and Israeli intelligence.

Alongside BBC Persian, the British-based Persian-language broadcaster, the list includes Iran International, a private London-based Persian channel, and Radio Farda, according to military spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi. Both BBC Persian and Iran International had already been designated terrorist organizations by Tehran in 2022.

"These hostile media outlets are soldiers of Zionism and the United States and figure on our list of military targets," Shekarchi said, accusing them of being "directly linked to Mossad, the CIA and enemy intelligence services." He added: "Iran's armed forces do not consider them media."

Iranian authorities routinely accuse foreign Persian-language outlets — widely accessible inside Iran via VPN — of collaborating with Israel. Since the joint US-Israeli offensive on February 28, which triggered the wider Middle East war, Iran has significantly tightened its grip on information.

In mid-August, Iran banned a YouTube channel that broadcast interviews with Iranian intellectuals and public figures on political and social affairs, accusing it of spreading "false information." Its founder and host, who resides in Iran, was questioned and later released on bail.