“The Strait of Hormuz was closed, oil surpassed $100, ballistic missiles rained down...” — Iranian media this week

Monitoring of Iranian state and semi-state media outlets such as Mehr News, Press TV, Iran Press, Tasnim and Fars over the past week shows that the absolutely dominant topic of the information agenda has been the military-political confrontation with the United States and the escalation at sea.

Iranian media have focused particularly on naval operations in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that the strategic waterway is under full control or has effectively been closed. In this context, extensive coverage has been given to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) destroying a US-owned Saildrone unmanned vessel, US strikes on Iranian oil tankers, and Tehran’s retaliatory ballistic missile strikes against US military bases located in countries such as Bahrain and Jordan.

The media portray this picture as a “tanker-for-tanker” and proportional-response strategy, emphasizing that US operations in the region have failed. At the same time, the advance of Yemen’s Ansarullah (Houthi) forces in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, as well as attacks on Saudi oil facilities, have also remained in focus. Pro-Iranian media outlets state that the Houthis are acting independently and reject Washington’s claims.

Alongside military tensions, developments surrounding the nuclear program and international diplomacy have also been widely analyzed. The decision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors to refer Iran’s file to the UN Security Council for the first time in approximately 20 years is described in Tehran’s media as “political abuse” and a disruption of the diplomatic process. Iranian diplomats say the move is aimed at denying the peaceful nature of the country’s nuclear program, while attention is drawn to joint statements with Russia and China, as well as the expiration of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. As a positive aspect of foreign policy, President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to India and participation in the BRICS summit in New Delhi are presented as key evidence that Tehran is not diplomatically isolated.

In terms of the economy and the domestic situation, state media emphasize that sanctions are merely a tool of pressure and cannot determine the country’s fate. Central Bank officials and other authorities highlight economic resilience, while describing the Brent crude oil price surpassing $100 on the global market and the White House’s inability to stabilize prices as an economic failure for the United States. At the same time, serious socioeconomic problems persist inside the country, including the doubling of the price of gasoline exceeding the official quota, queues at gas stations, the risk of medicine shortages, and protests by pensioners. While state media present these domestic tensions in softer terms or through the prism of “national resistance to external pressure,” independent and opposition sources such as IranWire report that the situation is more severe.

Among the other notable events of the week was the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In reports marking the anniversary, Iranian media have focused less on the attacks themselves and more on criticizing the unilateral use of force pursued by the United States over the past 25 years. News concerning Lebanon, Palestine and talks with Pakistan, as well as sports and cultural developments, have remained secondary to the broader military-political agenda.

Overall, the weekly monitoring shows that Iran’s official information apparatus has directed all its resources toward reinforcing the narrative of “victory” in the confrontation with the United States, dominance in the Strait of Hormuz, and resilience against sanctions.

Giymat Mahir