In the military conflict between Iran and Israel, known as the “12-Day War,” alongside commanders and forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, hundreds of civilians also lost their lives. Among the civilian casualties were three Iranian journalists.
On the morning of Friday, June 13, 2025, Israel launched an extensive attack on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure. On the first day of the war, Fereshteh Bagheri, a journalist with the Defapress News Agency and daughter of Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, was killed alongside her father in an Israeli strike on their residence.
As Israel’s heavy bombardment of Tehran continued, on June 16, 2025, the glass building of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) Political Department, a symbol of state-run media, was targeted. In this attack, Nima Rajabpour, a senior news editor at IRIB, was killed.
On the same day, explosions from the bombing of parts of Tehran damaged the building housing the editorial offices of Sazandegi newspaper and Ensf News. According to these outlets, none of their journalists were harmed.
Fereshteh Bagheri, Nima Rajabpour, and Ehsan Zakeri were three Iranian journalists working for state-affiliated media who were killed in Israeli military strikes. Additionally, Saleh Bayrami, a graphic designer with a history of collaboration with National Geographic magazine, was killed in Tehran’s Tajrish district by shrapnel from a missile strike while returning from a work meeting, according to the Defending Free Flow of Information (DeFFI).
On June 28, 2025, the Basij Media Organization, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed nine Iranian media workers were killed in the war. DeFFI’s investigation found that Masoumeh Azimi was an administrative employee at IRIB, and three others listed as media workers were IRGC members in its public relations department. No verified journalistic activity was found for two others listed. DeFFI could not confirm their status as journalists per its methodology, and this report will be updated as new information emerges.
DeFFI expressed deep regret over the killing of journalists and attacks on media infrastructure, emphasizing that journalists are vital to the free flow of information and citizens’ right to access it. Targeting journalists or media facilities is a clear violation of human rights and an attack on freedom of expression. DeFFI calls for an independent international investigation into these incidents and stresses the need to protect journalists’ lives and safety in conflict zones.