Iranian Broadcasting Chief Admits False Reports Damaged Credibility

The head of Iran’s state broadcasting corporation, Peyman Jebelli, has publicly acknowledged that false reports about shooting down Israeli F-35 aircraft severely damaged the organization’s credibility and reputation.

The rare admission came during a discussion with students at a university in Tehran, after a female student from a group of conservative regime supporters confronted him with a sign stating that Iranian citizens were relying on Qatar’s Al Jazeera rather than local media to learn about developments in the ongoing conflict.

“One thing damaged our credibility, and I wish this issue hadn’t come up now so I wouldn’t have to mention it,” Jebelli told the audience. “That was the shooting down of the F-35 aircraft. Were we in the sky to witness the crash of the fighter jet? Were we behind the defense system?”

Jebelli explained that the broadcaster had relied on military sources for the information, which later proved unreliable. “Someone from military sources informed us, and then in the end they understood for some reason that the information was not reliable and gave us another update,” he said, adding that “media sources should not stake their credibility on the reliability of other institutions and organizations.”

The incident highlights the growing crisis of confidence in Iran’s state-controlled media landscape. Multiple Iranian news outlets had repeatedly claimed that Israeli stealth fighters had been shot down over Iranian airspace, accompanying these reports with obviously fabricated images distributed on social networks. These images were quickly identified as crude fakes, and most of the reports were quietly removed from websites and social media platforms within hours of publication.

Media analysts point out that this revelation comes at a sensitive time for Iran’s information ecosystem. The state broadcaster has long been a cornerstone of the regime’s messaging strategy, particularly during times of international tension. However, increasing access to international news sources and social media has eroded the government’s monopoly on information.

Despite acknowledging the damage to the broadcaster’s credibility regarding the fighter jet claims, Jebelli continued to maintain other dubious assertions during his speech. He claimed that Iran had successfully struck Israel’s “computer system,” causing it to cease functioning, and that Iran had “stunned the world through resistance.”

Jebelli also continued to promote the regime’s official narrative that the confrontation with Israel in June—widely considered by international observers to have had devastating consequences for Iran’s leadership—was actually a victory for Tehran.

Media credibility experts note that such contradictions, maintaining some false claims while acknowledging others, risks further undermining public trust in state institutions. The incident also reveals internal tensions within Iran’s conservative base, with even regime-supporting students expressing frustration with the quality of information provided by state media.

The exchange offers a rare glimpse into the challenges facing Iran’s propaganda apparatus as it attempts to maintain control of national narratives while competing with more reliable international information sources in an increasingly connected world.