Iranian lawmakers advanced a bill on Sunday that would criminalize interviews and other communications with media outlets deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic, opening a new domestic-control front inside the wider Iran crisis.
Reuters reported, citing Iran’s Shargh newspaper, that parliament approved the general principles of the bill. The proposal targets contact with U.S. or Israeli media, as well as outlets financed by either country.
Osman Salari, a member of parliament’s judicial and legal commission, told Iran’s Mizan news agency that the bill’s individual provisions still have to be debated and approved. That matters: the current vote moves the legislation forward, but it is not yet final law.
Under the proposal described by Reuters, interviews or participation in discussions with hostile media would be banned and violations could carry prison terms of six months to two years. Interviews with other foreign media would require notification to Iran’s intelligence ministry.
The bill would also require notification and written permission from the foreign ministry for contact with foreign embassies, foreign organizations, or other non-Iranian institutions. Violations could bring fines and deprivation of certain social rights.
What The Bill Would Change
The bill goes beyond media interviews. Reuters reported that it would harden penalties for economic crimes committed under foreign direction, restrict scientific cooperation with foreign institutions outside an approved list, and ban providing information to foreigners without intelligence-ministry approval.
It would also punish policy or legislative proposals made under the direction of foreign intelligence services if Iranian authorities determine they harmed national security or independence. Some cases could carry prison terms of up to 30 years and would be heard by Revolutionary Courts.
The proposed law still has several hurdles. Parliament must consider it article by article, and any final text would then need review by the Guardian Council before it could take effect.
Still, the vote is significant because it shows Tehran widening its legal response to a crisis that is already military, economic, and political. Iran has used national-security framing to pursue domestic cases before, but this bill would create a broader legal risk around contact with foreign media and institutions.
The Wider Iran Crisis Context
The move comes as Iran is under intense pressure from war conditions, sanctions, and a battered economy. Al Jazeera reported Sunday that many Iranians are struggling with soaring prices, weak wages, and scarce work after months of war with the United States and a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran’s Statistical Center reported year-on-year inflation of about 88 percent at the end of July, with food inflation above 128 percent. Youth unemployment reached 23.4 percent in the spring, while overall unemployment was 9.1 percent and labor participation remained low.
Those economic pressures have become inseparable from Iran’s domestic security posture. The government is facing hardship at home while also managing the fallout from the broader regional conflict, including maritime disruption around Hormuz and continuing tensions with the United States and Israel.
The bill also follows a previous law passed in 2025 after a 12-day war with Israel that imposed tougher penalties for alleged cooperation with hostile states. Reuters noted that Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery was sentenced this month to 15 years under that earlier law over allegations that included interviews with media deemed hostile and providing photographs to U.S. and Israel-linked organizations.
The timing is important. Earlier Sunday, List25 reported that Iran had executed Shahram Sadeghi over a January protest case, another sign that Tehran’s internal crackdown is running alongside the external confrontation.
For now, the known facts are limited to the parliamentary vote and reporting from Iranian outlets cited by Reuters. But the direction is clear: as the Iran crisis deepens, Tehran is moving to tighten the legal boundaries around speech, foreign contact, and information flow.