Journalists in Iran have been working amid hostile air strikes for almost a week since the start of the US-Israeli offensive while also facing repression from the Iranian regime.
Internet access in the country remains limited and information is scarce.
As war spreads across the region, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has expressed its solidarity with journalists in the zone and has called on all parties involved in the conflict to guarantee their protection and the right to information.
“As the region goes up in flames, access to reliable information about the war following the attacks carried out by the United States and Israel, is more essential than ever — both regionally and internationally,” said Jonathan Dagher, head of RSF’s Middle East Desk, in a statement.
“Every single stakeholder involved in this war in Iran and the Middle East more widely is required, under international law, to guarantee the safety of reporters and their freedom to carry out their work.”
Although the situation was volatile and characterised by violence, respect for the right to information was still an obligation,” he said.
“The safety of journalists is non-negotiable. War must under no circumstances hinder the work of the press.
‘Release journalists’ call
“US and Israeli strikes against Iran must not endanger the media professionals covering those events. The Iranian regime must immediately release the journalists it is holding and cease all pressures against those covering the war.”
The death toll in Iran from the US-Israeli attacks has risen to 1,230, Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency has reported.
The deadliest single incident occurred in the city of Minab in southeastern Iran, where a strike on an elementary girls school killed “about 180 young children”.
In Israel, at least 11 have been killed and hundreds injured but details and the narrative are strictly controlled by state authorities.
Specific details on journalist casualties are not yet known.
“The Iranian regime’s relentless crackdown on media professionals is being compounded by the reality of living and working under air strikes, said RSF.
The US-Israeli offensive was launched on Saturday, February 28, killed several Iranian commanders and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
‘Menacing phone calls’
“Journalists are working under foreign bombs and receiving menacing phone calls from the authorities,” an independent journalist told RSF.
Afraid of reprisals, he requested anonymity.
“This political pressure hasn’t stopped with the war. On the contrary, it has intensified since the announcement of Khamenei’s death.”
The journalist is one of many reporters who have had to evacuate Tehran, the Iranian capital. However the city he fled to was also hit by heavy strikes.
“The attacks were very intense,” the journalist said. “The terrifying sounds of explosions and fighter jets continued until around 2 am, then they restarted at about 8 am, when we were woken up by the sound of another explosion.”
In addition to airstrikes and intimidating calls, journalists in Iran are also being threatened with arrest.
On several occasions, the Iranian state television channel announced that any activity deemed to be “advantageous to the enemy” would be severely punished.
“No independent journalist is allowed to work,” said a second journalist based in Tehran. “Even those [reporters] who went to explosion-affected areas, with government permission, were sometimes briefly detained, and had all their photos deleted.”
A shortage of information
These threats come amid a near-total media blackout in place since the protests that swept across the country in December 2025.
Although some journalists have occasional internet connection depending on their location and mobile operator, broadly speaking internet access remains restricted.
This censorship is also targeted: “Journalists and media outlets that echo the government’s narrative generally have access to unfiltered internet and SIM cards. However, independent journalists are subject to severe restrictions,” the reporter who left Tehran told RSF.
As a result, there is a shortage of information and reports are “vague and imprecise,” according to the Tehran-based journalist.
Her colleague agrees: “You only have to read the newspapers to see the repression.
“For example, although journalists at one Iranian daily have no affection for Khamenei, the outlet published nothing but praise about him.”
Pacific Media Watch collaborates with Reporters Without Borders.
Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz
