Iran Detains Woman Journalist's Family In Retaliation For Israel War Coverage: Report

Last Updated:June 22, 2025, 15:06 IST

Iran has reportedly detained the family members of a woman journalist and threatened to keep them captive till she resigns from her post, as per Iran .

Iran is one of the world's top jailers of journalists. (AFP)

Iran has reportedly detained the family members of a woman journalist in retaliation for the channel’s coverage of the country’s war with Israel, and threatened to keep them captive until the journalist resigns from her position.

The journalist, who works for Iran , received a call from her father on Saturday, urging her to resign from her role after her mother, younger brother and father were detained by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards.

“Iran strongly condemns the Islamic Republic’s recent abduction of family members of one of our journalists, an appalling act of hostage-taking aimed at coercing our colleague into resigning from their post," a spokesperson for the channel said.

“This deeply reprehensible tactic marks a dangerous escalation in the regime’s ruthless campaign to silence dissent and suppress independent journalism," the news channel said.

This marked the latest example of Iran’s crackdown on Iranian journalists inside the country, even extending to those living abroad but still have family and friends living in Iran. Iran has the highest number of journalists who have been jailed and are subject to strict restrictions, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

What We Know So Far

The identity of the journalist has not been disclosed so far. Iran’s paramilitary forces have reportedly taken her family members to an undisclosed location before she received the call from her father. The voices of security agents could be heard in the background telling her father what to say, as per Iranian reports.

“I’ve told you a thousand times to resign. What other consequences do you expect?" her father was quoted by Iran as saying to the journalist. “You have to resign."

Iran has become a target of Tehran in recent years over its programming that is critical of the theocratic government in Tehran. Most Iranians rely on the channel for news, especially the recent Iran-Israel war.

The Iranian government has called the news outlet a terrorist organisation. One of its journalists was stabbed in 2024 in an attack suspected to have been carried out by Iran, while men were arrested in a suspected plot to target others at the channel.

“Iran is increasingly concerned that the Iranian government is entering a new phase of unchecked repression, in which individuals linked to independent media outlets or international organisations risk being taken hostage and subjected to cruel treatment," the channel said in its statement.

(with agency inputs)

Tehran, Iran

News world Iran Detains Woman Journalist's Family In Retaliation For Israel War Coverage: Report