Iran has long been ranked among the world’s most repressive countries in terms of press freedom. In the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Iran 177th out of 180 countries, below Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, which ranked 175th.
But journalists and media watchdogs say the US-Israel war with Iran has pushed reporting conditions to an even more dangerous point.
Authorities in Iran have long tried to control the public narrative in moments of crisis. But according to journalists inside the country, wartime conditions have further strengthened that hold.
A journalist working for a well-known Iranian outlet told DW that the publication is now being monitored more closely and editorial instructions are being given from the top on how coverage should be handled.
According to this journalist, who asked to remain anonymous, the newspaper’s website cannot be accessed from outside Iran. Only a limited number of outlets near the security establishment appear to have reliable access to the global Internet.
This description fits a broader pattern described by press freedom groups.
In March, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that journalists in Iran were facing information blackouts at the same time as they were trying to report under dangerous wartime conditions. The group also said that some journalists had received threatening phone calls from state-linked institutions.
RSF said access to information inside Iran has been “severely restricted”, with journalists working under bombardment as well as facing pressure from state institutions.
selective internet access
The pressure on journalists has come alongside severe internet restrictions, which have sharply limited the flow of information from Iran.
Reuters news agency reported on April 28 that Iran entered its third month of internet blackouts, with authorities introducing limited access for some businesses under a temporary scheme called “Internet Pro”.
According to reports, the blackout first began on January 8, was eased briefly in February, and was reimposed after the war began on February 28.
In practice, this has created a two-tier information system. While most of the population has faced little or no access to the global Internet, some journalists say exceptions have been made for certain media actors and institutions.
Another Iranian journalist told DW that some associates had tried to collect names for access to so-called “white SIM cards,” which allegedly allow free access to the international Internet for people approved by security agencies.
He said he refused, believing that the arrangement was discriminatory and politically compromising. In his view, the expectation behind such privileges is clear: those who gain access are expected to live within the state’s borders.
Fear, censorship and propaganda
Journalists inside Iran say the pressure extends far beyond internet access. Some describe an environment in which even routine reporting has become risky, especially around sensitive sites or politically charged incidents.
A Tehran-based journalist told DW that independent reporting has become almost impossible. On his account, even some trusted journalists who tried to cover the strike sites were detained for periods of time and their footage deleted.
DW could not independently verify each of those individual cases, but the broader pattern matches what has been described by press freedom groups: a wartime environment in which access to information is shrinking and the costs of reporting are rising.
At the same time, state media have continued to portray unauthorized reporting as harmful to national security.
Journalists say domestic outlets are effectively limited to the official version of events and avoid publishing sensitive details from the ground, including public mood and the full humanitarian impact of the war.
Yet some analysts argue that the state’s propaganda efforts are failing to convince the public. Behrouz Turani, a media expert and journalism instructor who has worked with several international outlets, said the Iranian regime’s “media propaganda has failed during this war.”
Turani told DW that the messages often seem clumsy and disconnected from people’s reality. He argued that rather than convincing the public, it has exposed the growing gap between the official narrative and what many Iranians are experiencing.
Pressure on Iran’s expatriate journalists
The crackdown has also extended to exiled journalists and political activists. Reuters reported on March 9 that Tehran had warned Iranians who publicly support the US and Israel abroad could face legal consequences, including freezing their assets in Iran.
The report said the warning came from the Prosecutor General’s Office and was directed at members of the Indian diaspora who had expressed online support for attacks on Iran.
That threat was reinforced later in March, when Iran’s judiciary said people accused of spying, collaborating with “hostile states” or helping target the enemy could face the death penalty and the confiscation of all assets under a law strengthened during the war.
Iranian officials said the law could also apply to some media-related activities, including sharing images or videos deemed useful to hostile forces.
Iran’s information vacuum
Iran’s judiciary and security apparatus have harassed journalists, media outlets, and ordinary citizens for years over reporting and public comment. What many journalists now describe is not an entirely new system, but a much more rigid version of the old system, creating an information vacuum.
As independent reporting becomes more difficult and Internet access becomes restricted, there is less and less space for verified journalism.
This gives the state more room to promote its version of events while making it harder for citizens, journalists and the outside world to understand what is actually happening on the ground.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn