Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has submitted an urgent bill to parliament that would impose harsher penalties on social media users and content creators who publish what authorities describe as false or misleading information.
The draft legislation, developed with the judiciary’s input and approved by the cabinet late in June, includes 22 articles aimed at combating what officials call the spread of “fake news” in digital spaces.
The proposal would introduce prison sentences, fines, and bans on media activity for users found guilty under the new provisions.
According to the bill, penalties will be intensified if the content is shared by people with public influence — such as celebrities, experts, government employees, or those with significant online followings.
The proposed law also criminalizes the use of fake accounts, bots, or automated systems to publish content, and calls for increased penalties for repeated offenses or posts made during crises or wartime that authorities deem threatening to national security.
The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance would be tasked with operating a national platform to receive public reports on digital content and issue warnings. It would also be responsible for forwarding relevant cases to the judiciary for potential prosecution.
In the bill’s preamble, the government cited the rapid spread of online content, the rise of citizen journalism, and the psychological and societal risks posed by misinformation — including alleged damage to public trust, government credibility, and national cohesion.
The bill is now under urgent review in parliamentary committees, following its formal submission on July 20 with signatures from President Pezeshkian and Justice Minister Amin-Hossein Rahimi.
The legislative push comes amid growing concern over a wave of arrests and prosecutions following last month’s ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
Earlier this month, United Nations experts urged Iranian authorities to halt what they described as a post-war crackdown, marked by executions, arbitrary detentions, and online censorship.
Human rights group HRANA reported that at least 823 Iranians have been charged with political or security-related offenses since the war began, with 286 detained for online activities, including posts about the conflict with Israel.
