BBC News Persian - how the BBC is reporting on Iran

What is BBC News Persian?

The BBC's Persian service started in 1940. Today BBC News Persian reaches a total weekly audience of around 24 million and is the largest Persian-language media outlet outside Iran. Our team's journalism serves as a key source of insight and reporting on Iran for the BBC World Service and BBC News.

The service's website (bbc.com/persian) has been blocked by the Iranian authorities since 2006, and users in Iran access it through a VPN (Virtual Private Network). BBC News Persian TV is broadcast 24/7 via satellite, is streamed online via the website and the service's channel on YouTube. BBC News Persian TV is viewed by around 14 million people every week and is the largest international news channel in Iran - where there is an official ban on foreign TV channels and the signals of BBC Persian satellite television have been frequently jammed.

We also reach our audiences on various social-media platforms. On Instagram, we have 24 million followers: BBC News Persian is one of the world's leading news publishers on this platform. For comparison, CNN is followed by 23 million on Instagram.

Who are the audience and what do you cover?

We serve Persian-speakers, wherever they are, but our main audience is in Iran where one in four adults engage with our reporting. BBC News Persian coverage is a key source of news and analysis on developments in the country, the wider region, and the rest of the world.

In addition to news, current affairs and analysis, BBC News Persian TV delivers a wide range of original factual programmes, strands on music, arts and culture, science and technology. Programming includes the flagship news and analysis programme Shast Daghigeh (60 Minutes), the weekly current-affairs programme Safheh Do (Page 2), the debate programme Pargar (Compass), the music programme Rang-Ahang, technology guide Click, interview programme Goftogooye Vijeh (Hard Talk), arts and culture review Tamashaa (Spectacle); Khabarnegaaraan (Reporters, which showcases BBC journalists works), Aapaaraat (documentary showcase of the best Iranian, Afghan and Tajik documentary films); and health and wellbeing programme 37 Daraja (37 Degrees).

Why do you not have reporters on the ground in Iran?

The BBC hasn't had a news bureau or correspondent in Iran since 2009, following the reporting of the contested presidential election. But the Iranian authorities' campaign of harassment of BBC Persian journalists and their families started earlier that year, after the launch of our TV channel.

This persecution escalated in 2017 when the Iranian authorities started a criminal investigation into BBC Persian journalists, alleging that their work is a crime against Iran's national security, and at the same time placed an asset-freezing injunction against 152 named individuals.

BBC World Service has filed complaints to the UN over the treatment of our staff and their families. A few years ago, we learned that the Islamic Revolutionary Court had secretly charged, tried in absentia, and convicted BBC News Persian journalists amongst others. In its recent response to the UN, Iran justified its ongoing, unlawful actions towards BBC journalists, accusing us of "media warfare", "trying to target the security of the country by influencing the beliefs, culture, politics and behaviour of society".

Our journalists can't return to Iran anymore and their safety, along with their families' safety in Iran, has since been in constant and often escalating jeopardy.

With no reporters on the ground in Iran, how do you know what's going on in Iran?

To report the events and to counter disinformation and propaganda, the BBC News Persian teams check information to verify events, people, locations and meta-data. The BBC Persian Forensic Unit verifies images and videos circulating online, as well as identifying content that has been fabricated or manipulated using artificial intelligence. Our Digital team also monitors and publishes news and videos from Iran.

We also hear directly from Iranians in the country who find means to speak with our journalists to tell their stories and provide on-the-ground eyewitness testimony.

Videos submitted by the audience are carefully verified before publication. Beyond simple verification, the teams piece together emerging videos and eyewitness accounts to build a clearer picture of events on the ground - all this amidst internet and telephone shutdowns at times of national crisis. This work has provided audiences with a comprehensive understanding of what has been happening despite severe restrictions on information flow. When published, many of the videos have been viewed millions of times - with some gaining up to 10-12 million views.

BBC News Persian staff have been targeted by the Iranian authorities for decades. What is your assessment of the current safety for BBC News Persian journalists?

The Iranian authorities continue to pose serious and direct risks to BBC News Persian journalists. Despite being based outside Iran, staff still face intimidation, surveillance, and transnational threats, while their families inside Iran are subjected to interrogations, warnings, and pressure aimed at silencing coverage.

At times of crisis inside Iran - such as nationwide protests or periods of conflict - the level of threats and harassment tends to intensify even further. Overall, the safety environment remains high-risk, with no indication that Iranian state-linked intimidation is easing.

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