Access to independent news for people in Iran has been widened through a temporary emergency radio programme from the BBC World Service, launched amid ongoing unrest and an internet blackout.
The short-term service is designed to reach audiences cut off from online news, using mediumwave and shortwave frequencies to deliver daily coverage of developments inside Iran and their wider regional and international context.
The programme complements existing BBC News Persian video and digital services and includes adapted television content made available via radio to broaden access during the blackout, which has been in place since 8 January.
Before restrictions were imposed, BBC News Persian’s digital platforms recorded their biggest reach in a year, reaching more than 33 million people, underlining demand for trusted information.
Broadcast daily for 30 minutes, the programme features voices from inside Iran alongside analysis of political, social and economic developments shaping the situation. It airs at 16:30 GMT, with a repeat later the same evening, and is funded from existing resources until the end of March 2026.
Fiona Crack said the World Service has a responsibility to act in moments of crisis, adding that BBC News Persian already reaches one in four adults in Iran despite being banned.
Tarik Kafala highlighted extended television hours and increased digital output during the unrest, with journalism also feeding into wider BBC coverage and verification work.
The move follows a series of emergency services launched by the BBC World Service in recent years, including for Syria, Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and Myanmar.