Fars News

Fars News Agency is Iran's largest privately owned news outlet by reach, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Tehran. It is widely considered an IRGC-aligned platform: its editorial positions consistently reflect IRGC priorities, and it has served as the first outlet for state-sanctioned military disclosures on multiple occasions. In April 2026, Fars News published a list of eight Gulf bridges and infrastructure targets presented as potential Iranian retaliation options, including the King Fahd Causeway and UAE and Jordanian crossings.

Fars News has been sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury (2020) for conducting an influence operation on behalf of Iran's IRGC. It employs a large Persian-language newsroom and distributes content in Arabic, English and Hebrew. Its English service is frequently cited by international outlets before independent verification, giving it outsized influence over breaking Iran-related narratives. The agency's output during the 2026 conflict has included both factual battle reports and demonstrably false claims about Coalition losses.

The publication of the target list illustrates Fars News's role as a controlled communications channel for IRGC signalling. Publishing military intentions through a nominally civilian outlet gives Iran a layer of deniability while ensuring the message reaches international audiences immediately. It is a well-established Iranian information operations tactic, one that Western intelligence agencies routinely monitor.