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Outlet profile

Tehran Times

Iranian state-affiliated

Owned byIslamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO), a state body under the supervision of Iran's Supreme Leader
FundingPrimarily state-funded — roughly three-quarters of operating costs come from direct state budget allocations; the remainder comes from advertising and state-linked commercial activity. IIDO publishes no audited financial statements.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Tehran Times published its first edition on May 5, 1979, making it the Islamic Republic's first English-language daily, launched just months after the revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power. It was founded under the ideological sponsorship of Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, a senior cleric and architect of the post-revolutionary order who envisioned the paper as a global platform for the revolution's message; Beheshti was killed in a bombing in June 1981. Ownership passed to and has remained with the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, which Khomeini established in 1982 and which operates under the Supreme Leader's supervision. The paper targets foreign audiences — diplomats, businesspeople, and the English-reading public abroad — presenting Iranian government positions on domestic affairs, regional conflicts, and international relations. Its editorial record is one of consistent alignment with official Islamic Republic doctrine, including defense of the velayat-e faqih (rule of the Supreme Jurist) principle and persistent criticism of U.S. and Israeli policies. Media Bias/Fact Check rates it as 'Questionable' for poor sourcing and the promotion of government propaganda and conspiracy theories. During 2025–2026, as the U.S. and Iran moved through diplomatic overtures, Israeli airstrikes, and direct U.S. military action against Iran, the Tehran Times functioned as an outlet for Iranian government messaging hostile to the Trump administration's Iran policy.

Sources

  1. Tehran Times – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
  2. Tehran Times – Wikipedia
  3. Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO) – State Media Monitor
  4. Tehran Times – Grokipedia
  5. Seyyed Mohammad: The life story of the founder of the Tehran Times – Tehran Times
  6. 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations – Wikipedia

Profile compiled 2026-07-17; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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