Tightened restrictions stifle press across Middle East, fogging coverage of war

HONG KONG, China — Journalists covering the war in the Middle East are facing increasing restrictions and censorship imposed by governments and armed groups, with reporters being stopped and questioned or even detained, a survey of AFP bureau chiefs from the region showed.

Restrictions in Iran are particularly severe, while Gulf monarchies, which have been targeted by unprecedented drone and missile attacks from Iran, have also imposed tighter controls.

Israel, meanwhile, has barred publication of content deemed a direct security threat, such as live broadcasts showing city skylines during missile attacks, images that identify locations of missile impact sites or information on military plans and air defenses.

Governments seem particularly concerned about images that disclose the location of missile and drone strikes, or that show projectiles being intercepted.

No reporting outside Tehran

Obtaining independent information outside of official channels is particularly difficult in Iran, where media access to areas outside the capital Tehran is limited or non-existent.

AFP, one of the few international news outlets with a Tehran bureau, has been unable to visit the scene of the strike on a school in the southern town of Minab, where Iranian authorities say more than 150 people, many of them children, were killed.

With the Iranian internet barely functioning and security extremely tight, there is relatively little independent user-generated content being posted from within Iran.

This stands in sharp contrast with the start of the war in Ukraine, when journalists were allowed to travel freely and citizens were able to post images of Russian strikes.

To get an independent picture of what is happening outside of Tehran, AFP has been relying heavily on interviews with people who have fled the country, including those who have crossed Iran’s borders into neighboring countries, and on information provided by members of the Iranian diaspora with contacts inside the country.

Phone service inside Iran is spotty, so a dedicated team of journalists based at AFP’s Paris headquarters has been scouring social media and using their contacts to speak to Iranians who have left the country.

It is difficult for staff from the agency’s Tehran bureau to work freely on the ground, though the authorities do organize media visits to civilian sites that have been targeted, including homes, schools, sports stadiums and hospitals.

The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, known as Ershad, regulates the press and usually must give its approval before journalists can provide coverage. However, even journalists with permission have been stopped and questioned by security forces, and risk being detained.

Iranian state media focuses on reporting civilian casualties and damage to civilian targets. It does not report on military losses, although it does announce the launch of missiles and drones toward Israel and other targets in the region.

According to AFP’s Middle East Photo Chief Jewel Samad, Iran’s intelligence ministry has said: “If someone takes photos of sensitive places or damaged buildings and areas, or records the locations of centers with a GPS device or mobile phone and marks the places, they could be an agent of the American-Zionist enemy.”

The ministry called on people to inform the authorities if they saw anyone doing that, Samad said.

AFP’s Tehran team is managing to photograph images of strikes from a distance, mainly showing billowing smoke. The bombing raids on the country have also taken a physical and mental toll on journalists in Iran, whose sleep is constantly interrupted by nighttime air strikes.

Interception pictures blocked

Israel has imposed strict military censorship of sensitive army operations for decades, but has tightened its restrictions as it faces strikes from Iran and the Iranian-backed Shia terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The army has banned live broadcasts showing the skyline when sirens sound to warn of incoming missiles or drones.

Images of interceptions of incoming missiles by Israeli air defenses had been a major part of the coverage at the start of the war, and were a feature in the coverage of the June 2025 war between Israel and Iran.

However, this is now forbidden.

The army has also banned filming impacts at or near security sites, although it does allow coverage of civilian damage as long as exact locations are withheld.

In guidelines sent to media outlets in Israel, the army’s chief censor Brig. Gen. Netanel Kula listed a range of subjects and topics that could not be published without official clearance.

“Its primary purpose is to prevent assistance to the enemy during wartime, which constitutes a tangible threat to state security,” he said.

The guidelines bar journalists from disclosing information about military planning and preparations, air defenses and impact sites and locations.

Arrests and warnings

In Lebanon, Israel’s neighbor to the north, which has seen heavy Israeli strikes in retaliation for Hezbollah missile and drone attacks, journalists are facing restrictions in areas where the pro-Iranian terror group still wields control.

Reporters are forbidden by Hezbollah from freely accessing the group’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs, although the organization does organize press trips.

Faced with unprecedented attacks from Iran, Gulf monarchies that already enforce strict limits on press freedom have now imposed even tighter restrictions on journalists as well as others sharing information.

“The operating environment for journalists is getting much harder in the Gulf generally,” said Talek Harris, AFP’s Dubai-based bureau chief for the Gulf and Yemen.

In Qatar, the interior ministry announced on Monday that more than 300 people had been arrested for allegedly sharing images and misleading information about Iranian attacks.

Those arrested, of various nationalities, “filmed and circulated video clips and published misleading information and rumors that could stir public opinion,” the ministry said.

UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al-Shamsi has warned against photographing, publishing or circulating images that show damage where projectiles or shrapnel have fallen.

“Disseminating such materials or inaccurate information can incite public panic and create a false impression of the country’s actual situation,” Shamsi said.

The UAE authorities were also concerned about fake and AI-generated images being posted online, and Shamsi warned that those who post such images will be treated “without leniency.”

In Saudi Arabia, filming of energy installations and diplomatic areas — which have borne the brunt of Iranian attacks — was already highly restricted during normal times, but the war has added significant pressure.

Saudi authorities regularly refuse to speak on the record outside of official statements, while the Royal Court’s media service has pressured reporters to disclose the identities of their anonymous sources.

In Kuwait, the interior ministry said it had arrested two people who shared video clips that “mocked” the army, as well as a third person who used pictures of “banned terrorist organizations’ leaders on his profile.”

Bahrain’s interior ministry announced that four people had been arrested for filming and sharing footage of Iranian attacks and allegedly spreading false information, saying their actions amounted to “treason.”

Jordan’s Media Commission has banned the publication of any videos or information related to the kingdom’s defense operations, warning that violators will face criminal prosecution.

In Iraq, AFP’s Baghdad Bureau Chief Roba El Husseini said authorities were only giving limited information about the conflict. Journalists are generally barred from filming around Baghdad International Airport and are not allowed access to border crossings with Iran.

In the country’s Kurdish-controlled north, authorities have said journalists cannot publish live videos of incoming missiles or rockets, reveal the time and location of an attack or give details of any damage.

They are prohibited from shooting images around sensitive locations such as military and security sites, government buildings or diplomatic missions.

Journalists have also been warned to be careful about sharing videos uploaded by citizens, as these might disclose sensitive positions or infrastructure.

In the US, the Pentagon has not invited international media such as AFP to join military embeds, contrary to the practice in the 2003 Gulf War, when journalists were allowed to accompany military units to report on the war.

American and international news outlets, including AFP, AP, Fox News and the New York Times, were stripped of their Pentagon credentials late last year when they refused to agree to new rules regarding media access to the Defense Department.

The rules barred journalists from accessing large swaths of the Pentagon without an escort and gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth the authority to revoke press access from reporters who asked anyone in the Defense Department for any information that he had not approved for release.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.