Iran government and state TV clash over coverage as US talks are discussed

Iran's government has accused the state broadcaster IRIB of censorship after it omitted part of President Masoud Pezeshkian's remarks about negotiations with the United States. The dispute has opened a public rift between two key state institutions at a time when mediators are trying to encourage diplomacy between Tehran and Washington. It also comes against the backdrop of the aftermath of last year's 12-day war with Israel, which Pezeshkian referenced in his speech.

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The Government Information Council said on Friday that IRIB had cut the section of the president's comments in which he described how talks with Washington had been approved. In the speech, Pezeshkian said that after the war, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had publicly said there would be no negotiations with Washington, but had privately given approval. He said officials had gone to the supreme leader, explained the situation and asked what to do because the "no war, no peace" conditions were bad for the country.

According to the president, the leader then ordered them to negotiate and talks began on that basis. IRIB rejected the government's accusations on Saturday and said it had a duty to avoid creating what it called an incorrect suggestion of division within the country's leadership. The broadcaster said it was responding to "improper attributions" and defended its editorial line.

The government said the omission was part of a series of unusual actions by state television involving recent remarks by the heads of government, parliament and the judiciary. It said a section of parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's interview on negotiations had also been cut earlier this month, and that part of a speech by judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei backing the president was not aired. The row matters because it touches on how Iran presents internal unity while diplomacy remains sensitive.

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IRIB is headed by an appointee of the supreme leader, giving its coverage political significance beyond ordinary editorial disputes. The disagreement also highlights the tension between public messaging and the handling of negotiations with the United States, which remain a central issue for Iran's leadership. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has separately criticised IRIB, saying in an interview released on Saturday that he had fought hard in wartime interviews with US media and expected state television to show how Iran's case was being presented.

The dispute also reflects the wider political context after the war with Israel, which Pezeshkian used to frame his remarks. His comments suggested that the leadership's public position and private decision-making on talks with Washington had not always been presented in the same way. That has now become part of a broader argument over who controls the narrative around diplomacy, war and national unity.

For the government, the issue is not only about one edited speech but about a pattern of coverage that it says has affected several senior officials. What remains unclear is whether the row will lead to any formal change in IRIB's editorial approach or prompt a direct response from the supreme leader's office. It is also not clear whether the dispute will affect the wider diplomatic effort being encouraged by mediators.

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