The Islamic Republic's World Service and Iranian Public Diplomacy

Iran's foreign policy isn't just hard-boiled defiance. Tehran also uses soft power, notably international broadcasting, to spread its influence abroad. Here is a look at the Islamic Republic of Iran's World Service, with programming in more than 20 languages.

Expat Iranian TV Stuggles For Viewers

There is no lack of TV channels created by Iranian expatriates that are aimed at viewers in the Islamic Republic. But technical and political obstacles, some created by the channels themselves, are eroding their audience.

Radio Javan—Courting the Islamic Republic’s Youth

The IRIB and political leaders in Tehran, aware of growing competition from the quasi-independent print press, international broadcasters and expatriate-run media outlets, has promoted Radio Javan ("Radio Youth") to woo Iran's young media consumers.

Below Government Radar, Iranians Share Information via SMS

As President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's conservative government steps up the ban on satellite dish ownership, blocks more more internet sites and imprisons bloggers and journalists, Iranians are finding other ways to share information below the government's radar.  Many turn to cell phone-based SMS, which is harder to monitor and control

Competition and Control in Iranian Media

The media environment in Iran is not simply a story of state control. Ongoing government crackdowns haven't entirely snuffed out a range of viewpoints delivered via many technologies to sophisticated Iranian media consumers.

Iran: Breaking Barriers On the Web

Amid aggressive content-filtering by the Islamic Republic, bloggers and others in the internet community continue to make their voices heard. But lack of broadband is a limiting factor.

Nuclear Views in Iran

Iranians aren't of one mind about the government's high-profile nuclear program. Most people also don't expect tensions with the U.S. to evolve into a military confrontation.