IRIB News Archive Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting

History and Background

The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; Persian: سازمان صدا و سیمای جمهوری اسلامی ایران) is Iran's state-controlled national broadcasting organization, holding a constitutional monopoly on domestic radio and television broadcasting in Iran. Its origins trace to Radio Iran, officially opened on April 24, 1940. Television broadcasting began in 1958. Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the organization was restructured and renamed from National Iranian Radio and Television (NIRT) to its current form. The head of IRIB is appointed directly by Iran's Supreme Leader. IRIB employs between 30,000 and 50,000 people and maintains branches in some 20 countries worldwide.

News Archive

The IRIB News Archive, accessible at iribnews.ir/fa/archive, provides online access to news content produced by IRIB's news operation. IRIB operates one of the largest broadcasting networks in Asia and the Pacific, including 12 domestic television channels, multiple international news channels, and 30 provincial channels, as well as the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN).

Collections and Holdings

The archive contains news articles, reports, and broadcast content produced by IRIB's news division. IRIB also publishes the Persian-language newspaper Jam-e Jam and operates the Sahar Universal Network (SUN) for international audiences. Its broadcasts reach audiences in more than 30 languages including English, Spanish, Arabic, and various regional languages.

Note on Editorial Independence

IRIB has been sanctioned by the United States (since 2013) and the European Union for human rights violations, including broadcasting forced confessions of detainees and facilitating censorship. These sanctions reflect the organization's close ties to Iran's security apparatus, which are relevant context for assessing the editorial character of content in the archive.