The Thomson Reuters news agency allegedly supplied nearly $4 million in services to Iran’s state-run broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), despite longstanding U.S. sanctions against the entity, according to newly leaked internal communications and invoices.
The files, first analyzed by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), show Reuters negotiating with senior IRIB and Press TV executives between 2021 and 2024 to continue delivering large volumes of text and video news services, even as payment transfers were blocked by U.S. sanctions. At one point, Reuters acknowledged that IRIB and Press TV “depended heavily on Reuters video and text services” and sought solutions to keep the flow of content uninterrupted.
Emails reportedly document Reuters requesting overdue payments totaling nearly $3.9 million. When direct bank transfers failed due to sanctions, IRIB officials introduced a “third-party agent” to handle the payments. Reuters later confirmed in an internal email that an arrangement had been reached with this intermediary to collect funds on behalf of the sanctioned broadcaster.
Press TV a Branch of #Iran Regime for Money Laundering and Demonization Against #MEK and the Iranian Resistance https://t.co/JNZnKMqd3F
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 14, 2022
IRIB and its English-language channel, Press TV, have been sanctioned by the U.S., Canada, and the European Union for their role in human rights abuses, including airing coerced confessions, collaborating with Iran’s intelligence services, and spreading state propaganda. Press TV has also faced repeated scrutiny for disseminating virulently propaganda narratives and content aligned with Tehran’s foreign policy messaging.
Reuters confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon that it has sold “text newswires and video news products into Iran” for over a decade, stating that this practice had been disclosed to the U.S. Treasury Department and in investor reports. The company did not directly address questions about whether the business relationship with IRIB is ongoing or whether it has concerns over its content being used in state propaganda.
#Iran News in Brief
Senior Editor at IRIB, unveils systemic censorship issues within the state-controlled media.
Barmak Bayat: "We face obstacles in conveying facts to the people. This is the first time I am saying this, and it might come at a cost. While we were reporting on… pic.twitter.com/G0Rk4axvmI— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 10, 2024
The leaked files have prompted questions on Capitol Hill. A senior GOP congressional staffer told the Free Beacon that Reuters may have violated U.S. sanctions, saying: “Reuters uniquely provides IRIB with news content that gives it legitimacy, and these emails show deliberate attempts to bypass restrictions. That’s not just a moral issue—it’s potentially a criminal one.”
According to NCRI’s analysis, the partnership enabled IRIB and Press TV to broadcast thousands of Reuters-generated stories and video feeds globally, despite their designation as sanctioned propaganda arms of the Iranian regime.