Iranian Media Political Leanings and Affiliations [Updated 11/3/19]

I’m going to take a break from analyzing the nonsense of the ongoing will they-won’t they of the Trump-Rouhani summit drama (they won’t) to do something that I’ve meant to do for a while.

In almost every article about Iran that quotes one of its domestic media sources, you typically see the quote prefaced by some explanation about the source’s political leaning or institutional affiliation. One thing that has always frustrated me about Iranian media analysis is that there is no central guide for these designations. The sheer abundance of sources makes it nearly impossible to keep them all straight in one’s head, so I decided to compile a list.

At first, this list was purely for my benefit, but I think there is a chance it could be useful for other researchers, or even just for those who seek a better understanding of the complicated and chaotic landscape of domestic Iranian media.

I should note that my methodology in creating this directory was decidedly unscientific. Essentially, every time I saw a reference to an Iranian media outlet that was preceded or followed by notation on its political leaning or affiliation, I wrote it down. I didn’t do much additional active research to verify this information, although I have checked many of these against numerous references over time.

[Note: I will update this list as I encounter additional references.]

• Aftab
• Ebtekar
• Ghanoon
• Mardomsalari
• Shahrvand
• Arman
• Etemad
• Khabar-e Jonood
• Seday-e Eslahat

• Kayhan
• Jam e Jam
• Fars
• Tasnim
• Javan
• Raja
• Jahan Sanat
• Mashregh

• Nameh News
• Khorasan

• Iran — Rouhani/Executive Branch
• Javan — IRGC
• Fars — Judiciary
• Jam e Jam — IRIB
• Kayhan — Supreme Leader
• Resalat — Bazaaris
• Mizan – Judiciary