Iran advances bill sharply curbing contact with foreign media and institutions

Iran's parliament has approved a draft law that would create sweeping new restrictions on contacts with foreign institutions, media and organisations, according to Iranian and diaspora legal experts cited by Deutsche Welle. The 19-article bill, still moving through the legislative process, is being framed by its sponsors as a legal framework against "far-reaching foreign influence."

Supporters argue that espionage is already prosecuted but that Iran lacks a clear framework to punish broader "influence." Critics respond that the boundary between lawful contact and criminal activity is left dangerously undefined and will effectively be drawn by security services and courts.

Fear as a legal tool

Iranian lawyer Sina Yousefi, based in Germany, told DW the law would create "an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty" because ordinary citizens could not tell in advance whether an interview with a foreign outlet or a joint research project might later be recast as a crime.

Rights lawyer Moein Khazaeli, based in Sweden, said the bill would become "a further instrument to suppress political opponents and human rights activists," and estimated that "99 percent of the acts classified as criminal under this draft are not crimes and do not justify criminal prosecution."

A blow to independent reporting

Parviz Yari, a journalist with the group Defending Free Flow of Information (DeFFI), warned that the law would make it harder for independent media and international organisations to gather information from inside Iran, and would extend the reach of state propaganda outlets.

Iranian authorities have long deployed digital blocks, prosecutions and travel bans against dissenting voices, but the draft raises the personal cost of any cross-border professional or academic tie. See more coverage of Iran's political shifts as the bill heads to further votes.