Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei criticized Persian-language media abroad for sharing insights about Syria that could instill fear or unsettle the public, warning that broadcasting such content in the country would be deemed a crime.
“Some individuals abroad, through Persian-language media, engage in such actions, which must be dealt with differently. However, no one inside the country should do this. If anyone, in their analysis or statements, speaks in a way that demoralizes the public, it is a crime and must be addressed,” Khamenei said on Wednesday.
Following Khamenei's remarks, Iran's Attorney General also urged media and online activists to avoid topics that disrupt public psychological security or spread fear.
"Given the sensitive domestic and regional conditions, the Attorney General’s Office calls on media and online activists to avoid discussing issues that disrupt the psychological security of society or cause fear about the current situation," the Attorney General's office said in a statement on Wednesday.
It also directed security agencies to monitor cyberspace and identify media outlets or individuals "spreading rumors or disturbing public psychological security", so they can be referred to the judiciary.
As images of brutality and prison abuses circulated online after Assad’s fall, Iran’s media cautiously critiqued him, with some even hinting at parallels with the Islamic Republic.
Iran's government spokesperson suggested on Tuesday that leaders who ignore public sentiment and refuse dialogue risk facing the same fate as Bashar al-Assad, while asserting that the current government does not engage in such practices.
"We believe we must speak with the people and act alongside them,” Fatemeh Mohajerani said during a press conference.
