Iranian state television

Iranian state television is the colloquial term for IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting), the constitutional broadcasting monopoly whose director is appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. During the Iran-Iraq-US Conflict 2026, it has served as the primary source for official Iranian casualty figures, government statements, and domestic framing of the war. Its casualty reports — including figures from the B1 highway bridge strike of 3 April 2026 — are cited internationally but carry the caveat that they reflect regime-approved information.

IRIB operates over thirty television channels and thirty radio networks domestically, alongside the international service Press TV. It has been a military target in the conflict, with its Tehran headquarters struck in March 2026; broadcasting continued via contingency systems. The broadcaster's survival under fire is politically significant, as any new post-war government would rely on it to communicate its authority to the Iranian public.

The reliability of Iranian state television's wartime reporting is contested. Its figures are often the only available source for events inside Iran, making them widely quoted while remaining unverified. Lowdown cites state television where figures cannot be independently confirmed, noting the sourcing limitation. The broadcaster simultaneously shapes domestic Iranian perception of the war and provides external observers their primary window into official Iranian claims.