Abolfazl Shekarchi
Iran targets Persian-speaking Western media
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Iran warns Persian-language Western media could become military targets.
- Tehran accuses foreign outlets of serving Western intelligence.
Iranian Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi warned that foreign-based Persian-language news organizations could be treated as military targets and accused them of serving Western intelligence agencies, Mehr News Agency reported Wednesday.
In statements reported by the Iranian agency, Shekarchi said that channels such as BBC Persian, Iran International, and Radio Farda “are directly linked to Mossad, the CIA, and enemy intelligence agencies, receiving their operational directives and support from them.”
Reiterating Tehran’s stance that foreign-sponsored Persian media function as psychological warfare units rather than journalistic institutions, Shekarchi claimed these platforms actively promote global violence and civil instability.
"Individuals working for these outlets are considered soldiers of Zionism and criminal America," Shekarchi added. "They can even be included in the list of potential military targets because, in our view, these are not media outlets."
Read more: Iran calls US Iran policy “pure parody”
The statement comes as Iran faces heightened regional tensions and ongoing US economic sanctions.
Iranian authorities have historically viewed foreign-funded, diaspora-directed news outlets as operational arms of Western hybrid warfare aimed at inciting domestic unrest, undermining national cohesion, and facilitating espionage.
By categorizing these networks as combatants rather than civilian media, Tehran’s military leadership signals a hardening posture against foreign outlets, framing cognitive and media operations as active fronts in the broader regional confrontation with the US and 'Israel'.
