The first Iranian newspapers appeared in the mid-19th century during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah.[1] More specifically, the first newspaper in Iran, Kaghaz-e Akhbar (The Newspaper), was launched for the government by Mirza Saleh Shirazi in 1837. By 1907 (the era of the Persian Constitutional Revolution), there were 90 newspapers circulating in Iran.[2]
In 1952 under Mohammad Musaddiq's government there were 300 newspapers, including twenty-five dailies. During the 1979 revolution the number of newspapers was 100, of which twenty-three were dailies.
As of 2000 there were 23 Persian dailies, three English dailies and one Arabic daily in the country.[3] In the period between 2000 and 2004 a total of 85 newspapers were closed down in Iran.[4]
Below is a list of newspapers published in Iran.
| Title | Year est. | Language | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abrar[5] | Persian | Economic, political, artistic, social and cultural newspapers | ||
| Alik (daily)[6] | 1931 | Armenian | Economic, political, artistic, social and cultural newspapers | |
| Abrar-e Varzeshi[7] | Persian | Sports newspaper | ||
| Afarinesh | Persian | |||
| Aftab Yazd[8] | 2000 | Persian | Political, social, economic, events. | |
| Aftab-e Emruz[9] | persian | political | ||
| Aftab-e Shargh | Persian | |||
| Andisheh-ye-No | Persian | currently banned | ||
| Asia News | 2001 | Persian | Economic Newspaper | |
| Asr-e Azadegan | 1999 | Persian | ||
| Asr-e Maa[10] | 1991 | Persian | political | |
| Asrar | Persian | |||
| Azad | Persian | |||
| Atash | 1946–1947 | Persian | ||
| Bahar | 2000 | |||
| Donyaye eqtesad[11] | 2002 | Persian | ||
| Ebtekar[12] | Persian | |||
| Eftekhar[13] | Persian | |||
| Entekhab | 1991 | Persian | ||
| Eqbal | persian | |||
| Esfahan-e Emrooz[14] | Persian | |||
| Etemad[15] | 2002 | Persian | ||
| Persian | "Official newspaper of the National Trust Party"[16] | |||
| Ettelaat | 1926 | English, Persian | "Centrist...Iran's oldest daily, moderate, a newspaper of record" | |
| Fath | Persian | |||
| Financial Tribune | 2014 | English | The only private newspaper in English and also the only non-Persian economic daily in Iran | |
| Ghanoon | 2012 | Persian | ||
| Gilan Emrouz[17] | Persian | |||
| Goalnewspaper[18] | 2005 | Persian | Sport newspaper | |
| Ham-Mihan | 2000 | |||
| Hambastegi[19] | 2000 | Persian | ||
| Hamshahri | 1992 | Persian | "Centrist press...Owned by Tehran Municipality, it is one of the best-selling dailies with a circulation of about 350,000" | |
| Hamvatan Salam[20] [21] | Persian | Meaning "Hello Compatriot"; since before 1995,[22] still published | ||
| Hayat-e-No | Persian | currently banned | ||
| 1981 | Persian | |||
| Iran[23] | 1995 | Persian | "Government newspaper published by the Islamic Republic News Agency. The daily has a circulation of 100,000 and is popular among state officials" | |
| [24] | English | "Hardliner press...Pro-government" | ||
| Iran Weekly Press Digest | ||||
| Iran-e Javan[25] | Persian | Cultural, artistic, sports, social | ||
| Iran Front Page[26] | 2014 | English | Translation of selected items and front pages of Iranian newspapers to English: politics, society, culture, science, business, art, sports | |
| Iran-e Varzeshi[27] | Persian | Sport newspaper | ||
| Jame-Jam | 2002 | Persian | "Owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting...hardliner" | |
| Jamee-e Madani | Persian | |||
| Jameah | Persian | currently banned | ||
| Javan[28] | Persian | "Hardliner...Right-wing daily affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards" | ||
| Jomhouri Eslami[29] | 1979 | Persian | "Hardliner...Closely linked to the Supreme Leader. The paper takes the line of adherence to Khomeini's ideals and has consistently taken a radical position on foreign policy issues and a conservative position on domestic and religious issues." | |
| Jomhuriat[30] | Persian | |||
| Kalemeh Sabz | Associated with "Green Movement leader, Mir-Hossein Mousavi" | |||
| Kayhan[31] | 1943 | English, Persian | "Hardliner...One of the country's oldest daily papers, run after the revolution by the office of the Supreme Leader, who appoints the editor-in-chief, currently Hossein Shariatmadari. Kayhan is state-funded and has a role comparable to "Pravda" under Stalin." | |
| Kayhan Al Arabi[32] | 1943 | Arabic | "Hardliner...One of the country's oldest daily papers, run after the revolution by the office of the Supreme Leader, who appoints the editor-in-chief, currently Hossein Shariatmadari. Kayhan is state-funded and has a role comparable to "Pravda" under Stalin." | |
| Kelid | 2013 | |||
| Khabar | Persian | |||
| Khabar-e Jonub | Persian | |||
| Khane Mellat | Persian | |||
| Khorasan[33] [34] | 1949 | persian | Political, social. | |
| Khordad | Persian | |||
| Khorshid | 2008 | Persian | ||
| Kian | Persian | |||
| navad 90 (varzeshi)[35] | Persian | Sport | ||
| Neshat | 1998 | Persian | "Aligned with Iran’s reform movement...Neshat’s director and editor in chief were Latif Safari and Mashallah Shamsolvaezi" | |
| Payam Ashna | Persian | the first newspaper of Alborz province | ||
| Payam Zaman | Persian | |||
| Quds[36] | Persian | |||
| Resalat[37] | 1985 | Persian | "Hardliner...Owned by the Resalat Foundation, which has strong links to the traditional bazaar merchants-conservative but in favor of a market economy. It reflects the views of the conservative Islamic Coalition Party and the Islamic Association of Engineers" | |
| Ruydadiran (Ruydademrooz) [38] | Persian | "Social and Economic newspapers. It is a popular daily and nationwide newspaper that is distributed in all provinces of Iran." | ||
| Salam | 1991 | |||
| Sarmayeh[39] | Persian | "Centrist...Economic paper run by a former head of the Tehran Stock Exchange, and shut down in October 2009" | ||
| Shargh | 2003 | Persian | "Pro-reform" | |
| Sobh-eqtesad[40] | Persian | |||
| Taban | Persian | |||
| Tehran Emrooz | "Centrist...Daily set up by a member of the Guardian Council, and close to Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Bager Ghalibaf" | |||
| Tehran Times | 1954 | English | "Hardliner...Pro-government" | |
| Tous | 1998 | Persian | "Reformist daily...Published through the Jamee-Rooz publishing company...directed by Mohammad Sadeq Javadi-Hessar with Mashallah Shamsolvaezin as editor in chief." Currently banned | |
| Vaghaye Etefaghyeh | Persian | |||
| Al Vefagh | 1997 | Arabic | ||
| Yas-e-no | Persian | |||
| Zan | 1998 |