Fars News Agency

Fars News Agency (Persian: خبرگزاری فارس) is an Iranian news organization with close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of Iran's military. While it brands itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency," Western media outlets often label it a "semi-official" state outlet. Since its launch, Fars has drawn scrutiny for its role in spreading propaganda and disinformation, both domestically and internationally. The Iran Disinformation Project has identified it as a key tool in the IRGC's influence operations, accusing it of disseminating rumors and falsehoods about dissidents, activists, and intellectuals. One tactic involves publishing interviews with Western figures, such as conspiracy theorist James Fetzer, who echo Tehran's narrative. As a result, the US Treasury sanctioned Fars in January 2020, blocking its .com domain. In September 2023, the agency was added to the OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals list, effectively barring Americans from engaging with it. Despite these actions, Fars continues to operate and remains a significant voice in Iran's media landscape.

The agency was launched in the early 2000s, with its English-language service added later. It operates a website at farsnews.ir and maintains social media accounts on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook. The product's key features include extensive coverage of Iranian domestic and regional politics, multimedia content (text, images, video), and multi-language output, including Persian, English, Arabic, and Turkish. The target audience is primarily the Iranian domestic population for its Persian service, and a secondary international audience (including policymakers, journalists, and the Iranian diaspora) for its English and other language services. Critical reviews are overwhelmingly negative from Western sources, which label it a propaganda tool for the IRGC. User reviews are difficult to obtain from independent platforms, as the agency is often blocked or sanctioned.[edit]