Iranian parliament advances bill to curb foreign influence

Iran's parliament approved the general principles of a bill aimed at criminalizing interviews and communications with media considered hostile to the Islamic Republic, including US and Israeli outlets. Osman Salari, a member of the parliament's judicial and legal commission, noted that the individual provisions of the bill have yet to be debated and approved. The proposed bill would ban interviews or discussions with such media, with violations punishable by six months to two years in prison. Additionally, interviews with other foreign media would require notification to the intelligence ministry.