Tabnak

Tabnak is an Iranian Farsi-language news outlet aligned with the IRGC and the principalist (hardline) political bloc in Iran. On 17 April 2026 it published the IRGC Navy's formal four-condition transit order for the Strait of Hormuz, the document that declared all non-military vessels must use Iran-designated routes, barred military transit, required prior Guard Corps authorisation, and tied the framework to the Lebanon ceasefire holding. Choosing Tabnak as the publication vehicle signals the order's IRGC origin: the outlet is used when the Guard Corps wishes to publish doctrine or policy that bypasses official government press channels.

Tabnak was founded in 2007 by Mohsen Rezaei, former IRGC commander-in-chief and former secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council. The outlet has historically served as a platform for IRGC-aligned political figures and has broken several significant stories before official government channels. Its principalist editorial line puts it in frequent tension with reformist or moderate Iranian media but aligned with the hardline security establishment.

In the context of the 2026 conflict, Tabnak's role as the carrier of the four-condition Hormuz order makes it an important primary source for understanding IRGC intent. Western analysts and shipping lawyers cited the Tabnak publication as the most authoritative signal of how the IRGC interprets its own Hormuz mandate, more reliable as a read on Guard Corps policy than statements from the civilian Foreign Ministry.