Outlet profile

Mehr News Agency

Iranian state

Owned byIslamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO), a body established by Iran's Supreme Leader and directly linked to the Iranian government

FundingState-funded through the IIDO, which receives its budget from the Iranian government; supplemental revenue from advertising, largely drawn from other state-affiliated institutions

On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Mehr News Agency was founded on June 22, 2003, by the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO), itself established in 1981 by decree of Ayatollah Khomeini to spread Islamic revolutionary ideology. The agency is headquartered in Tehran and publishes in six languages — including English, Arabic, and Turkish — making it the most multilingual news outlet in Iran. Its director is appointed with the approval of Iran's Supreme Leader, placing it firmly within the state media apparatus. Mehr is classified by outside media-monitoring groups as a state propaganda outlet that regularly amplifies Iranian government positions, promotes anti-Western narratives, and downplays or disputes accounts that conflict with official Islamic Republic policy. The outlet has been cited by Western governments and analysts for spreading disinformation on topics including Iran's nuclear program, regional conflicts, and U.S. sanctions. During the Trump administration's first term (2017–2021), Mehr provided consistent coverage that framed U.S. policies — including the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the killing of General Qasem Soleimani — as acts of aggression. Since Trump's return to office in January 2025 and the reimposition of maximum-pressure sanctions, Mehr's English-language coverage has continued to portray the Trump administration in strongly adversarial terms, consistent with the Iranian government's official stance.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-08-10; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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