Iran's 'Infiltration Bill' Targets Foreign Media Contacts

The bill, formally called Countering the Influence of Foreign Intelligence Services and States or Foreign-Linked Institutions in the Country, has 33 articles. Parliament approved its framework on Aug. 16 by 183 votes to 4 and Article 22 on Oct. 6 by 174 to 6; the full text still needs Guardian Council approval. Article 21 allows associations and organizations found to engage in foreign-linked activities to be dissolved, the article says. Cabinet legal affairs vice president Majid Ansari warned that the measure would sharply restrict academic contacts abroad and drive more researchers out of Iran. Iranian government officials are exempt from the bill's provisions, the article adds, though the text does not detail which officials are covered; its general implications are that officials are among the few Iranians able to talk to foreign media. Parliament still has to approve the remaining articles before the Guardian Council reviews the full text, and penalties remain subject to revision amid strong opposition in parliament, according to the article. Separately, the article says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Operation Economic Outcast on Aug. 24, extending secondary sanctions to Iran's aviation, shipping, gold, technology and digital-asset sectors. Within days, the UAE, Azerbaijan and Oman halted flights by Iranian carriers, and Turkish Airlines said it had no flights to Iran scheduled until March 2027, according to the article. It describes Iranians taking 2,400-kilometer bus trips to Istanbul and a prospective doctoral student whose U.S. visa was canceled in August 2025 after she traveled to Baku for exams.