The US State Department on Tuesday denounced Iran’s closure of the Tehran Journalists’ Association, calling it a direct attack on press freedom and part of the Islamic Republic's broader effort to silence independent voices.
“The Iranian regime has intensified its attempts to extinguish independent voices in the media," the department’s Persian-language account, @USABehFarsi, said in a post on X.
"Its recent decision to shut down the Journalists’ Association building is a direct assault on freedom of expression and the right of journalists to report without censorship."
The department added, "The people of Iran deserve transparency and the opportunity to be informed about the crimes this corrupt regime secretly commits.”
The Tehran Journalists’ Association itself denounced the eviction as a “blatant assault on trade union independence, the professional freedom of journalists and the pluralism of society.”
Its offices were sealed on August 20 by order of Tehran’s municipality, which is led by hardline mayor Alireza Zakani.
Authorities insist the move was procedural, citing the expiration of a two-year lease and plans for a street expansion project.
But the Committee to Protect Journalists rejected the explanation, urging the city to reverse course or provide the group with an alternate space.
“We strongly oppose the forced closure of the Tehran Journalists’ Association offices,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah in an online statement.
A member of Tehran’s City Council, Naser Amani, also criticized the decision, saying any changes to the contract should have first been reviewed by the council.
The move follows evictions targeting other civil society groups, including the Iranian Sociological Association and the House of Humanities Thinkers.
Press freedoms in Iran are tightly restricted, with state control over broadcasters and frequent arrests of journalists.
The crackdown has intensified since Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June, with both domestic and diaspora reporters facing mounting repression.
