Censorship at the Center of the Iran War

The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader for nearly 37 years, marked the beginning of the joint military operation by the United States and Israel against Iran. According to President Trump, Israel and the US joined forces in an effort to encourage Iran to dismantle their longstanding theocratic government. Following the catalyst strikes, Iran launched its counter attack using missiles and drones to target Israel and US military bases in surrounding countries like Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This retaliation prompted crackdowns on “freedom of expression and social media usage” in the aforementioned countries especially as the war progressed (NYT). Sultan Alamer, a fellow at the Middle East Policy Council in Washington, told The New York Times that the Persian Gulf countries are likely enforcing these restrictive policies to prevent Iranian intelligence analysts from using content to improve the accuracy of future strikes. However, maintaining each country's reputation of safety and prosperity for investors and tourists is another relevant incentive.

New York Times - Damage from a drone strike in March at a hotel in Dubai, UAE

In 2025, Kuwait ranked 128th out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index, which essentially indicates that media laws in the country consistently work to limit criticism of the government. The war in the Gulf Region has revealed controversial instances of this kind of censorship within Kuwait. For example, on March 7th, 3 men were arrested and charged after posting a satirical video of the group preparing for disaster while laughing that reportedly jeopardized national security. Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a reputable independent journalist, is another individual who was held for 52 days in Kuwait for allegedly spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing a phone. Shihab-Eldin had posted comments and videos online that contained information about the war and a US fighter jet that was mistakenly shot down near an air-base in Kuwait. The Committee to Protect Journalists described those charges as “vague and overly broad accusations that are routinely used to silence independent journalists.”

The Emirati government has arrested hundreds of people for “spreading rumors” and sharing actual footage of Iranian strikes. Some individuals have even been charged with “glorifying” the attacks resulting in at least 35 expedited trials. More specifically, a videographer for an international news outlet was arrested while in the UAE for filming in “restricted areas without obtaining the necessary official permits” (NYT). Though the Emirates did not name the videographer or news outlet, a statement suggesting that misinformation could be deadly was released to The New York Times. On the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, many users' accounts are blocked in the UAE, including right-wing influencer Jackson Hinkle. When users try to access Hinkle’s account they are met with a message explaining the account has been obstructed “in response to a legal demand” that, seemingly, arose as a result of posts, with unreliable sources, about attacks in the Gulf region (NYT). Finally, the destruction of upscale apartment buildings and 5-star hotels prompted UAE authorities to release a warning to “avoid taking photographs or sharing imagery of attack sites or of damage” (NYT). 

New York Times -Tehran on the first day of the war

West of the Persian Gulf, in Lebanon, an Israeli strike killed multiple paramedics and 3 journalists: Ali Hassan Shaib, Mohamad Ftouni, and Fatima Ftouni. The Israeli government released a statement claiming Ali Hassan Shaib was believed to be a “terrorist” working with Hezbollah, a militant group, throughout his career as a journalist. In an interview with PBS, Sara Qudah, the Committee to Protect Journalists Middle East and North Africa regional director, stated that there was no evidence in the statement that suggested any of the journalists had been participating in any kind of military action. Qudah added “Journalists are considered civilians, and therefore they are protected from any kind of attacks unless they were in any way participating in conflict with an army.”